Dora Soranzo

— Dora during William's route

**Dora Soranzo**, better known as **Madam Dora**, is a character in The Smoke Room. She is the madam of the Saguaro's Hip and the employer of Samuel and Cynthia.

## Appearance

Madam Dora is a tall, older doe with brown eyes and a short bob of brown hair. She wears a billowing black gown with red and white trim and highlights. Dora also wears a pair of white earrings shaped like flowers and is frequently seen smoking from a long black cigarette holder.

## Personality

Madam Dora's demeanor changes greatly depending on the context of her conversations, with her years on the stage allowing her to easily adapt into different roles to suit her audience. When acting as the brothel's madam or entertaining high-profile clients, Dora tends to give off an affable air and plays a charming hostess who is attentive to her company's needs.

In more private settings or when talking to those she is more familiar with however, Dora reveals herself to be an experienced businesswoman with a dry sense of humor and a slightly jaded worldview that allows her to see through the actions and emotions of other people quite easily. Though it is difficult to gain her trust, Dora cares deeply about those under her charge. She takes pride in her business being both a center of Echo's public life and a refuge for her employees, and seems to enjoy that the role keeps her busy as well as needed and respected within the community.

## Story

### Before The Smoke Room

Based on the birthday she celebrates in Nik's route, Dora was born in the summer of 1855.

As a young woman, Dora toured the country as part of a performing troupe alongside Harlan and three other performers. Dora gained renown for her singing voice and traveled to cities from coast to coast. As Dora aged, she grew weary of her life on stage and decided to settle somewhere to find a life beyond performing. This eventually led her to Echo, where she opened up the Saguaro's Hip and began operating as its madam. Harlan followed her and became the establishment's bartender.

Over its years of operation, the Hip's saloon steadily became a fixture of Echo and its brothel became popular in its own right. This, combined with her work as a prominent suffragette, led to Dora attaining a degree of notoriety throughout the town. Dora eventually began to draw the attention of those seeking "social currency" from more intimate sources as well as those simply seeking a session with one of her employees, making her a nexus of information about the comings and goings in town. She also received the support of Cordelia Hendricks, both financially and as a friend.

Prior to the Smoke Room, Dora hired Cynthia, Ethel, Lucy, Scarlet, and many others to work as servers in the saloon as well as prostitutes. She also found Sam shortly after he quit his job at the mine, and offered room and board in exchange for putting his talents to use as part of her staff.

Dora generally appears to enjoy her role as the Hip's madam, which includes managing day-to-day affairs, hiring new staff, and scheduling appointments and performances for her clientele. Much to her displeasure however, Dora often finds herself being approached by key local political figures, such as James Hendricks III, Sheriff William Adler, and Mayor Testerman, who expect her to bow to their authority and divulge sensitive information about those who visit the brothel. Dora also frequently interacts with Gretchen Byrnes due to their shared work as suffragettes, though she resents Gretchen's domineering nature and dislikes her conservative, moralizing attitude towards alcohol and sex work.

In addition to their information-sharing agreement, at some point Dora accepted a deal from Will to obstruct James' attempts to book appointments with Sam, in exchange for a monthly sum. Dora has also allowed Sam to make a special deal for Nikolai, who is allowed to pay a third of the normal rate for appointments with Sam because the two are close. Near the start of the Smoke Room, Dora begins providing board to Hattie and Andy Adler while the pair settle into Echo.

### Prologue

Alerted by the screams of Cynthia and the other girls, Madam Dora finds a heavily injured Samuel in his bedroom following his experiences in the mine. After sending the girls away and calling Avery to attend to his injuries, she asks Sam about the circumstances of his injuries and accepts his ambiguous account despite indicating a level of disbelief. After his recovery, she orders Samuel to take the day off and take it easy long enough to heal.

After the discovery of Jack's body in the mine some time later, Dora meets with William in her office to discuss the crime, only for a violent mob of angry miners to form outside and necessitate the lockdown of her establishment.

The morning after the riot breaks out, Dora leaves Sam a note telling him to take it slow, mingle in the Hip's saloon, and focus on recovering from his injury. Cynthia later tells Sam that the Madam has more than likely put together the extent of his involvement in Jack's death, though she is evidently willing to turn the other way if this is the case.

### Cliff's Route

After Sam returns from an errand, he learns from Cynthia that Madame Dora has personally escorted a client to his room, which he remarks is very unusual even for their richest patrons. The client turns out to be James Hendricks III, who uses Sam's services for the first time.

While Sam is with James, Dora is approached by Clifford Tibbits, who wants to hire Sam as some extra muscle for his upcoming expedition to the nearby Meseta settlement. Dora allows Sam to decide for himself whether to go, but she warns him sternly that Cliff is suspicious and Sam should be wary of excessive affection. Despite her worries, she allows Cliff to secure Sam's services with the caveat that he "bring him back in one piece."

While Avery treats an injury that Sam sustains later in the route, he jokes that Dora would be angry with him if she learned that he had found Sam hurt and failed to help him. Sam says that no matter what happens to him Dora shouldn't hold Avery accountable, seemingly in an attempt to cover for Avery in the event that he succeeds in escaping Echo and never returns to the Hip, but Avery replies that Dora is usually 'understanding.'

### Murdoch's Route

Madam Dora is absent from the early part of Murdoch's route, though Cynthia mentions at one point that she is searching for a new bartender to replace Harlan due to his increasingly frequent absences.

Dora makes her first appearance at Holly Byrnes' wedding alongside the rest of Echo's suffragette party, whom Cynthia explains all received invitations from the bride's mother Gretchen. Dora notes that she has a personal interest in the event, which she characterizes as the essential passing of the torch to Echo's next Byrnes family matriarch. She also nearly gets into a disagreement with Gretchen over temperance and Prohibition before Cynthia defuses things, then shortly afterward smirks slightly to see Jim, the groom, pouring himself a drink from a hidden flask. Dora encourages Holly to be less humble on her big day and remarks that Jim looks like he could teach his bride-to-be something about excitement. She witnesses the start of the wedding ceremony, only for the proceedings to be interrupted suddenly when she is the first to realize that the Hendricks Mansion is on fire.

### Nikolai's Route

After deciding to go after the mine's gold with Nik and Yao, Sam stops by The Hip to inform Dora that he will be working at the mine temporarily. She points out that Sam swore never to return to the mines after he left the first time and immediately calls this new side job into question, leading Sam to admit that he is also trying to help out a friend. Though Sam does not tell her about the gold and the fact that he may end up leaving Echo because of it, Dora implies that she sees through to the truth of the matter and wishes him the best of luck, while remarking that although filling his vacancy in the brothel will be difficult, it is normal for her employees to move on over time. She advises him that flexibility is important, and adds that she could never dedicate herself to just one opportunity.

When Sam shares that James Hendricks somehow knew about his closeness with Nik, Dora brings up the likelihood of James having an informant within the brothel and says that whoever it is will get what is coming to her. She then informs Sam that Will has been looking for him, and encourages him to tell the sheriff at least part of the truth to pacify him when the two inevitably encounter each other again. Nonetheless, she agrees to cover for Sam in the meantime before sending him off.

A few days later, Dora puts on a performance at The Hip to celebrate her sixtieth birthday. She is pleased to find that despite it having been three years since she last sang, she still has fans who flock to see her. Though she plans for an encore later that night, Dora confirms that she is happy in her current role and does not miss her performing days. She then looks on as Sam and Nik talk to the Hendricks and arrange to meet them at their mansion to discuss the mine workers' rights and have Cordelia perform a tarot reading for Sam. Afterward, she expresses amusement at seeing James being put in his place by his wife and encourages Sam to be kind toward Cordelia.

### William's Route

Following his abrupt departure with William after the previous night's riot, Madam Dora checks in on Samuel after he reappears. Upon learning about his work with William she tells him about her own information-sharing arrangement with the sheriff and warns against putting too much trust in him. She excuses herself once Cynthia enters.

The following day, Dora ends up playing host to Gretchen Byrnes and Mayor Testerman, much to her chagrin. After they ask about William's "new deputy," she fetches Sam and has him answer their inquiries before dismissing him.

In the evening, Dora takes control of a chaotic situation after Sam apparently faints and Cynthia finds a trunk full of occult items stashed inside a wall of the Hip's powder room. Notably, Dora encourages Cynthia to be the one to search the trunk, leading her to discover that it contains a braid of kit fox fur and a piece of jewelry belonging to her deceased mother, and then she allows Cynthia to keep these items. This may indicate that Dora has an idea of what the trunk will contain and hopes for Cynthia to learn the truth. Dora then directs Sam back to his room so that he can recover and resolves to inspect the trunk herself.

Later that night, Dora has a private disagreement with Harlan, who encourages her to move on from Echo and open a pub in a big city where her talent for performance will be better appreciated. He also calls her beautiful, and she tells him firmly that she is happy where she is and their adventuring days are over. She also reveals that she found a "twenty-year-old" photo in the trunk that links it to Harlan, and instructs him to either get rid of it immediately or be fired.

Sam, who has been unintentionally eavesdropping and caught Dora's notice but not Harlan's, may then either be spotted by Harlan or sneak unseen into the office with Dora as Harlan leaves. Harlan is enraged if he catches on but Dora takes Sam's side and says there is nothing to worry about. Harlan storms out, swearing that Dora can pay him to serve drinks but should expect nothing more. Whether or not Sam is caught, he and Dora then briefly discuss Harlan's behavior and how to go about dealing with the night's revelations. Before she dismisses him to rest, Dora encourages Sam to consider how Cynthia would be affected by learning that the trunk belonged to one of their coworkers.

A few days later Will stops by The Hip in the course of his investigation and may choose to question Dora in the powder room. If he does, they discuss Will's arrangement to keep James from making appointments with Sam. Will also asks her about any more information she may have on James, but she is unable to help him.

After Marcy Greene suffers a complicated miscarriage that leaves her close to death, Sam comes to the Hip and enlists Dora's help to find her a discreet doctor. Dora contacts Avery, who is able to stabilize Marcy after she is brought to the Hip for treatment. Dora promises to pay any expense in order to give Marcy the best chance at survival, and volunteers to remain behind to assist Avery after everyone else is permitted to depart the bedside.

When a clearly emotional Gretchen arrives to check on Marcy, Dora permits her to come in. She asks firmly for Gretchen's assurance that she will seek her advice and consult with doctors before continuing to provide Marcy, or any other women in the community, with the abortive drugs they require. Gretchen looks ready to argue but Dora quiets her with an intense look. She then swears everyone in the room to secrecy, seemingly both about Marcy's condition and Gretchen's activism.

## Relationships

### Samuel

Sam is one of the prostitutes Dora employs to work at The Hip and, to her own admission, one of her most valuable employees due to his niche as a male prostitute. The two first met after Sam left his previous job at the mine and refused to return. Taking pity on him, Dora offered Sam a position as one of her workers and he accepted. Sam's room is euphemistically branded "The Smoke Room" and appointments with him tend to be made privately through the madam or Sam himself, with Dora taking advantage of the fact that many clients who would not book appointments with the women she employs are drawn to Sam.

That being said, Dora genuinely cares about Sam beyond the opportunities he affords her and she prioritizes his well-being over her income, as she does for all her charges. This includes encouraging him to take time off to heal and having a doctor visit him when he is injured; giving him advice on how to stay safe or deal with people in the town when he begins to get involved in events beyond the Hip; and presumably even keeping the truth of his crime secret despite having seen through his lies. Though Dora notes that Sam will be difficult to replace should he leave, she acknowledges that the jobs she offers tend to be temporary and wishes for him to find happiness in the world beyond the Hip.

### Cynthia

Cynthia is another of Dora's employees. Though the circumstances under which Cynthia was hired are less certain, Dora took her in at some point after she fled the Meseta settlement. The madam appears to have a large degree of trust in Cynthia in comparison to her coworkers, often tasking her with delivering messages to others regarding their tasks and appointments or having her take charge of the other girls. As with all of her employees, Dora genuinely seems to care about Cynthia's wellbeing and tries her best to keep her comfortable and safe. When Cynthia discovers Harlan's trunk on Will's route and is upset by its contents, Dora expresses concern for her and forces Harlan to get rid of the trunk while giving the contents that relate to Cynthia to her to deal with as she pleases. She also worries about her reaction should she discover the truth of its owner and urges Sam to keep it to himself so that she can continue to feel safe and comfortable within The Hip.

### William

Madam Dora and William have a terse, professional arrangement: William helps protect the brothel and its employees in exchange for information. However, Madam Dora notes that his protection tends to run out when her information does. She shows some disdain for him due to the danger he may pose to her establishment should she be unable to remain useful to him. As a result, Dora is well-versed in how to deal with the sheriff so that he is forced to rely on the trickle of information she selectively feeds him.

Dora's distrust toward Will extends to his relationship with Sam, and she often offers Sam advice on how to deal with the sheriff without endangering himself. Despite this, Dora upholds an arrangement with Will in which she blocks James from being able to book appointments with Sam in exchange for regular payments from Will, so long as no one outbids him for Sam's time.

### Harlan

Dora and Harlan are old friends from her performing days and used to travel the country in a troupe, singing and performing tricks as a mentalist respectively. The two were apparently close alongside the rest of their group, and when Dora decided to retire from the stage and settle down Harlan came with her. Harlan operates as the bartender for the Saguaro's Hip while Dora manages the business affairs and owns the establishment proper. Though Dora is aware that Harlan is madly in love with her and wishes to see her shine again beyond Echo, she considers him a “lovesick old fool" and reciprocates neither his romantic feelings nor his desire to return to the stage. This leads to some conflict between them, especially on Will's route when the occult trunk is discovered.

When talking to Sam, Dora notes that she primarily allows Harlan to keep his job out of obligation, as he is a longtime friend and an increasingly old man who will likely struggle to become employed and find a place to live should she let him go. In spite of this, the conflict between them and Harlan increasingly missing work days has led her to begin the process of considering and hiring a replacement.

### James

Dora has little patience for James' machinations and seems to distrust him completely. She is often frustrated by his constant feuding with William, and finds herself frequently in the middle of power struggles between the two because her business serves as an informational resource on which they both rely to gain leverage over the other. Dora appears to consider James inept and oblivious in social situations, and enjoys seeing him get knocked down a peg. She also works to keep him from being able to meet or make appointments with Sam due to a deal she has with William. That being said, Dora likely does not outwardly show her dislike to James himself.

### Cordelia

In contrast to Dora's feelings toward James, she considers Cordelia a friend and enjoys her company. According to Dora, Cordelia has been a generous sponsor of the Hip and the two seem to engage in easy and amicable conversation with one another. Cordelia also offers to give Dora a tarot reading and compliments her performance skills, implying that the two are familiar and at least somewhat close. Before Sam goes to visit the Hendricks house, Dora laments that Cordelia could use more friends and asks him to be pleasant with her.

### Mayor Testerman

Like many other characters in The Smoke Room, Dora appears to find the mayor incompetent and resents his (often futile) attempts to seek information from her and her staff. Though Dora deals with him only reluctantly, she manages to play the role of an exemplary hostess to his face in order to ensure he, as one of the town's most powerful figures, holds a positive opinion of her.

### Gretchen

Dora has little patience for Gretchen, referring to her as an "awful woman" and seeming to despise having to converse with her. Despite this, as prominent suffragettes in town the two share similar goals and values, although they evidently disagree fundamentally on subjects such as Prohibition. They have common ground in their advocacy for women's rights, although Dora disapproves of certain measures undertaken by Gretchen, such as the distribution of abortive drugs to Marcy without proper medical oversight. Gretchen is aware of Dora's shrewdness and is therefore far less receptive than most to Dora's attempts to portray herself as a simple charming hostess.

At one point, Dora muses over hiring Murdoch as a new bartender before dismissing the idea because it would mean having to deal with his mother. On Murdoch's route, Dora attends Holly's wedding and states that the event is of great interest to her because it represents the essential passing of the torch to Echo's next Byrnes family matriarch.

### Ethel, Scarlet, and Lucy

Dora employs Ethel, Scarlet, and Lucy as prostitutes. Like her other employees, she tends to have them take on odd jobs throughout the establishment on top of their appointments with clients. As with all of her girls, Dora genuinely seems to care about their lives and happiness and wishes them well regardless of what their fate holds. Dora also finds that she enjoys feeling "needed" by the women she employs. She likely serves as a confidante of some sort to all of her staff, although this also helps her obtain information that can be supplied as leverage for those seeking it.

### Avery

Avery acts as a discreet physician for the girls at the Hip, and Dora evidently trusts him both to come to their aid on very short notice and to keep his treatments confidential. Avery states that Dora would be "cross" with him if he ever encountered one of her employees and did not lend his help, though he notes that she is typically understanding when Sam worries that this means he might get Avery into trouble if he does not return from his expedition on Cliff's route.

## Trivia

* Dora is bisexual.
* Dora may identify as genderfluid in certain circumstances, and during her career as a performer she occasionally played male roles in drag.
* Prior to being stated in The Smoke Room, Dora's last name was revealed via a Sims content pack made by GeorgeSquares featuring many characters from The Hip.

## Gallery

DefaultDefault in profileAnnoyedThinkingWorriedAmusedLaughingConcept art for Madam Dora drawn by Shtarfish.
## References

1. ↑ GeorgeSquares' CuriousCat
2. ↑ GeorgeSquares' CuriousCat
3. ↑ The Sims Content pack made by GeorgeSquares