Teaser
Everyone knows HealthiLife: the vitamins aren’t cheap, but what is your health worth? That’s the question its sales cadre asks as they go door to door, promising health in a little pill. Some swear by it but those who signed up to sell it only curse the day they did, somehow never able to get out from under the debt.
But now there’s a new game in town: Elixir! Health in a vial, treating all manner of ailments and slotting neatly into the HealthiLife product line. The cynical might say it’ll be just as useless as HealthiLife (and the foolish and cynical might say it will get you just as sick), but nothing sells like hope.
When the two managers go head to head, however, and secrets about the organizations are brought to light, who will come out on top – and who will get trampled beneath their feet?
Characters
Teaser: Themes: nostalgia, monarchy, noblesse oblige
When an ordinary child discovered that they were somewhat related to old Revacholian royalty, it changed their life. Or rather, it changed how they saw the world from that moment on. Their family was still poor and had no political power whatsoever, but Aubin knew they were royalty and should be treated as such. Their parents were naturally worried, especially when Aubin changed their name to reflect their heritage, but they did not intervene. Now Aubin is renting a flat with their fellow students, who deserve so much less than Aubin does, and trying to finish their history degree. Their roomates mock them for their beliefs mercilessly, but they will have to respect them when the suzerainists take the reins once again. Aubin is also a passionate artist, capturing the long-lost grace of the monarchy (painting/graffiti).
Factions:
Apartment Block B
,
Petanque Club
,
Von Bergen Nostalgia
,
The Pyramid Scheme
,
The Suzerainists/The Globalists
Teaser: Themes: teaching, corruption, art, family
Tony came to the neighbourhood some thirty years ago as a teacher. Some say that it was a punishment for them for speaking the truth to the power; others claim that the cause was much more mundane, related to embezzlement and bribery, but it was certainly a fall from grace. You see, there are even rumours that Tony used to be a university professor.
That life is now long, long behind them. And even in their 70s, Tony is very vital and active. They raised the young Marie Pelletier and even spent a few years outside of La Cage, coming back with a kid. Nowadays, Tony is not only still teaching classes and editing papers - they are allegedly even involved in some sort of a sensitive _affair_.
Factions:
Apartment Block B
,
Gamblers Den
,
The Pyramid Scheme
Teaser: Themes: ambition, status, wealth, fascism
Having a complicated relationship with your parents is quite normal at Elliot's age. However, it gets much worse when your parent is someone seen as the hero of La Cage, the only actual doctor operating in the old hospital and someone allegedly so humble that they don't even charge a reasonable price for their services.
Elliot is close to finishing their own medical degree, but their visits home are getting more and more fraught. They are bothered by the humble poverty that their parent is forcing them into and by the squalor and hopelessness all around. Elliot wants to live a good life and to find out what is what, and they are way past done with both the old doctor and the corrupt, impotent regime. They are an avid member of the Iron Cadence.
Factions:
Apartment Block B
,
Iron Cadence
,
The Pyramid Scheme
Teaser: Themes: desperate measures, obsession, poor family, hustler
Since their late spouse passed away in a workplace incident caused by a migrant worker, Ember has been trying their best to provide for the family: the young Rudi and the angry Reine. But Reine will hardly speak to their parent anymore; the money from the insurance company is running dry, and on top of everything else, they have to help support their parent-in-law, Francis. Ember has a lot of compassion for them because all of Francis' drinking problems stem from losing their partner in a work incident, but their funds are getting thinner every day. But Ember has a plan that will turn everything around.
Ember’s obsession with *another foolproof plan to turn their life around* is making the family members increasingly estranged from one another. But the payoff is near, for sure!
Factions:
Apartment Block B
,
The Pyramid Scheme
,
The Second Club
Teaser: Themes: family vs ideals, leadership, loyalty, liberalism
Rory is the firstborn of the popular local politician Jacqueline Baciu. While they were still kids, Rory and their sibling Eli had to raise their terrible half-sibling, Frankie.
Rory has always tried to make their mother proud, and they have always been successful in everything they took on. Thanks to the global market, nothing is impossible if you commit and work hard.
Now that Frankie has become some local Suzerainist leader's protégé and Eli has left to chase their dream in Jamrock, Rory has been feeling the weight of being the reasonable one on their shoulders even more.
With unwavering determination, Rory was promoted at a very young age as a sweatshop owner’s right hand person. It is a lot of work and pressure of course, but one day they could rise to the top and become the boss. And from there, accomplish what their mother started and change the destiny of the neighborhood. The thing is - Rory knows they can lead and they should change stuff for the better. They just did not have time to think about HOW they should do that.
Factions:
Apartment Block A
,
The Suzerainists/The Globalists
,
Bearded Vulture Club
,
The Pyramid Scheme
Teaser: Themes: self-reflection, hustler, exploiting and being exploited, proving yourself
In the past, all three Verhoog children (Kit, Ira, and Billie) tried to use the money earned by the family pawnshop to get out of La Cage. Kit was the only one to actually succeed to some extent. They see themselves as the boss and deeply believe in applying the rules of the jungle in everyday life. The citizens of La Cage are poor because they deserve it. If they just hustled a bit more, fixed some windows, and sold more things, the place would be nicer. The only question is: why, then, did Kit end up here in La Cage again? Of course, there was a letter from their parent calling them back. But Kit is not interested in only that - they are here to prove that they have really made it. They can work harder, they can leverage all their connections, they can totally exploit their teen friends and they can make it big even in La Cage. Of course they can.
Factions:
Apartment Block A
,
The Mold Conspiracy
,
The Pyramid Scheme
Teaser: Themes: responsibility, family ties, giving up, crushed dreams
At first, the Du Toits only wanted to send the young ones to the Revachol, but youth is restless and needs guidance. That’s why Aaro was chosen as the only mature family member to accompany them. After all, they were the child of the head of the family. After their arrival, they were also the ones who failed to realize that they had been terribly scammed, and since then, Aaro hasn't stopped blaming themselves. They work the hardest and suffer the most from the exploitation of their employers, partly to forget their guilt and partly to shield the other Du Toits. The letters from Oranje relatives are piling up on Aaro’s desk and becoming harder and harder to answer. The situation has made Aaro look for solace in rather unexpected places, but some things cannot be postponed indefinitely.
Factions:
Immigrant Housing
,
The Suzerainists/The Globalists
,
Contemplatory bookclub
,
The Pyramid Scheme
Factions:
The Unseen
,
The Pyramid Scheme
