Player: Jan Vancl

Teaser:

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.

Factions: Apartment Block B , Fight Club , Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD)

Player: Filip Kinczyk

Teaser:

Themes: thirst for knowledge, obsession, manipulation

Sam has not always been on the quest for knowledge. But after they lost their kids came a struggle, and after that epiphany. There was so much in the world that was yet to be seen and explained, and they were the only one who could help with that. They dealt with their grief in innovative ways and ended up as a new person. Sage, hermit, teacher, mentor. Not a leader, but they might soon find out who that should be.

Of course, that is mostly how Sam sees themselves. Others would say that they are a weird old person living with a bunch of usually high kids and cooking up drugs for them, but do people like that even matter?

Factions: Apartment Block B , Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD) , Experimental Drug Therapy

Player: Tobi Holmes

Teaser:

Themes: vengeance, reconciliation, madness, obsession, fascism

Jordan lost their family when the Local Union Branch... transformed and took power. Jordan's parents were former Union heavy hitters and pushers - now, of course, remembered by most as nice and honest people. Elian let Jordan live and even supported their education, probably hoping that Jordan would just give up on La Cage and run away.

Jordan did not. Jordan returned to La Cage and started at the clinic as a nurse. However, the stress of the work, the unresolved trauma of their loss, and complicated feelings towards the gang running La Cage push them to the brink. And when Jordan has their sadder and _weirder_ moments, they like to turn to some very disturbing creative outlets. Mostly involving scalpels.

Factions: Apartment Block A , Iron Cadence , Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD) , Theatrical Taxidermy Club

Player: Gerke Schlickmann

Teaser:

Themes: family disconnect, estrangement, emotional manipulation, grief

The day Valja found out their youngest child had been shot was the last day they felt alive. The moment they heard the news, Valja finally saw their purpose clearly: they were responsible for their family, for ensuring they all escaped the vicious pull of the gangs jockeying for position with children’s lives. In all the confusion, Valja had been firm: they had to escape, to leave Yugo-Graad, now. In La Cage, Valja found work, housing, and the essentials for the family, but they felt forced to overlook a bit of extra food or the occasional blanket that showed up unexpectedly. Otherwise, though, they have remained outspoken against criminal activity of any kind. Their dynamic with their spouse Matija became unpredictable – sometimes antagonistic, sometimes compassionate, always codependent – and Valja hovers over their surviving children, Sasha and Zhenya. Valja’s voice is clearest when speaking out against Matija’s casual schemes, trying to keep the children on the straight and narrow. This balance lasted for years - until Zhenya’s spouse, Luka, joined the family. Seeing how easily Zhenya gives in to their fast-talking spouse and how Matija’s eyes light up with Luka’s ridiculous ideas for the next big thing is enough to make Valja wonder if it’s too late. Too late for their children, too late for themselves, too late for their marriage. Will Valja manage to protect the new life they constructed for themselves away from gang turf wars or will they forever live under the dark clouds of the Krot name?

Factions: Immigrant Housing , Anarchists , Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD) , Contemplatory bookclub

Player: Fio Ivan Herrling

Teaser:

Themes: (lack of) control, transferred affection, drive to get better, sibling rivalry

For ten years, Zhen was the only child of the Kims, the crown prince of a successful family. After ten years as an only child, Zhen’s parents adopted Nuri. Orphaned by the atrocities at Co Hoi, little Nuri had been spoiled rotten while Zhen could only watch from the sidelines. Their comfortable life couldn’t mask the sense of inadequacy that developed, but a little bump of cocaine could. Now, Zhen struggles to go more than a few hours without the precious white powder, and it only got worse after arriving in La Cage: the quality here is poor, and their finances are limited, so sometimes they trade family treasures or less savoury services to get what they need. Waiting for a Paledriver to smuggle the Kims away from the war in Safre, Zhen met someone who made them want to quit for the first time; finding out they had died on their way to safety almost destroyed Zhen but brought them to the Association for Rights of the Dead where they met someone new – and fell in love almost instantly. Zhen hates their reliance on something that used to be fun, something their inattentive parent, Dr. Tai, the esteemed addiction specialist, had always preached against. How can they get the help they need without having to admit the truth to their family or new love?

Factions: Immigrant Housing , Druggies , Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD) , Finders

Player: Maciej Starzycki

Factions: The Unseen , Association for the Rights of the Dead (ARD)