Themes: exploitation, trade, capitalism, power
Business is a harsh mistress; like the sea, it goes up and down. One must know how to stay afloat lest they drown. Emery knows how to do it; now they swim with all their might because they are in the eye of the storm, and that is where the calm is. Emery had many dreams, ideas and options, but ultimately, they decided to go for something that would bring reasonable profit for a reasonable amount of time: setting up a small franchise of Fritte's in the poorest neighbourhood they could find. The bulk of their business is not even retail any more: they get the goods from the chain, divide them up, and then sell them off to local businesses. Emery keeps only very limited opening hours and cuts costs where possible.
Which brings us to Olly, oh, Olly. Olly is Emery's sibling, and where Emery is practical and calculating, Olly has grand plans and ideas that are mostly connected with chemicals and drugs. For some reason, Emery is now hosting Olly and their weird friends in La Cage. Of course, Emery's life is not all about commerce. They are also passionate about their hobbies - like stick fighting and... honouring the dead.
Everybody who lives in La Cage is mostly poor and desperate. The families and professionals living in Apartment Blocks are the ones who really try to keep some semblance of normality in their lives. The Block B consists mostly of tradesmen and people of other desirable professions. People with no exceptional wealth or status, but the ones who are good and honest at their job and are beneficial to the La Cage. Educated, but not burgeois - teacher, nurse, students, social worker or people jilted from Block A. They mostly want to stay far from the troubles and extreme ideologies (to a small degree of success) but are willing to help each other as much as they can - like a big family.
“Come by and watch the spectacle! Watch adults pummel each other bloody! Watch the gladiators of our modern times face off for your amusement!” So read the worn posters and flyers every week. The Fights are happening weekly, and are one of the few entertainment establishments in La Cage. Everyone knows the story of the rise of the “Red Bannerman” and the “Twirling Moustache” - glorious fighters in a bloody sport. As part of the Fight Club, you might be one of these fighters, facing off with wooden sticks, some bringing the finesse of ancient samaran martial arts, while others beat down their opponents with brute force.
Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD) started as a lobby and interest group trying to bring back burying people into graves and other traditional funeral customs, however, it already succeeded in it´s political goals. Now, ARD is mostly concerned with providing funeral services, taking care of places of rest and helping people grieve.
For most people in Revachol, death was something that happens out of sight, with dead bodies disappearing into incinerators and memorial places overgrown with vines. ARD is here to change that, both by offering funeral services and by organising some cultural events, like the famous Dance of the Dead, when dead people symbolically join the parties through photos and songs.
