Player: Ren

Themes: anarchy, solidarity, community

Lumen did not start out poor, living in a shoddy excuse for a flat with random other young people. They started in the nicest parts of the city - but in the course of their teenage education, they realised how much the system sucks. Not just the Coalition-run administration in Revachol: ANY system. They figured out the only way forward is through learning, solidarity, and anarchism. This made them one of the driving forces of the group of students who decided: *Hey, let's just build a utopic student community together in some cheaper part of the city.*
And now... here they are. Some might be losing hope, but Lumen is really intent on sticking through this. They might change their opinions on how to do so and what the ideal system might be, but they will do anything to ensure the flat works out. It simply has to.

Player: Ingrid Bjørnstad

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).

Player: Tal Shtein

Themes: politics, challenging the status quo, escape from reality, globalism

Valrien grew up with a staunch Moralinternist upbringing in an upper-middle-class family. During their studies as an economics major, they decided to focus on the topic of poverty and gain a profound understanding of how poor people got into their situation and what they do to survive in it. They thought it would be best to observe this as closely as possible, so they decided to move into shared housing with fellow students in the poorest part of Revachol. They frequently engage in political debates with their flatmates, especially those leaning more toward the extremes. Valrien believes that they can make them understand, but is it possible that instead, it is Valrien who could see the error of their beliefs? They hope to keep the fact that they are actually quite rich hidden from their roommates, but they will find out sooner or later - and then what will Valrien do?

Player: Bunni Fishwick-Ford

Themes: art, media, politics

All Jaime ever wanted was to do art. But sadly, you need money to do that, and so they have to run the local Frittte shop, which has recently turned into a propaganda battleground for the local political groups. This turn of events made Jaime realise that their art could be a carrier for a strong political statement. But what should that statement be? And what art form is best suited for a strong political message? They are not sure yet, but when they are not cramming for the finals or stuck in the shop, they are searching for the true pinnacle of art and a fitting message to go with it.

Player: Adam Štěpánek

Themes: evironmental conservation, politics, radicalisation

Avery is an environmental activist and a student at the local university. They have a heart of gold and would never hurt a living soul. They believe in grassroots movements and are full of hope. In their spare time, they strive to make their apartment and the rest of Revachol cleaner and more sustainable. They picked the People's Pile Disaster as a thesis topic, and they spend a lot of their time with those affected. They hope to bring attention to the impact this catastrophe had on the environment as well as those who, to this day, suffer from the consequences. Recently, faced with others' disinterest and thoughtlessness, Avery has been becoming increasingly desperate, even considering more forceful measures to get their point across. But how far are they willing to go?

Player: Roman Galovič

Themes: what makes life good, religion, politics, (oc)cult, secrets, looking for a successor

Jean's long life has been full of community service, religious leadership, and a genuine desire to help people. Now, it is nearing its end, but their work is not done; not even close. They have no biological family, but all those who believe are their family in spirit. And it is from this community of believers that they need to choose their successor. There are candidates who might be able fill their shoes, but Jean will have difficult choices to make: and still, there is so much work, so much suffering to help with.
Jean is, of course, not only a priest. In La Cage, even the spiritual leader needs to work with the others and, maybe even more importantly, have fun with the others. It is among their neighbours, with drink or darts in their hand, that Jean takes inspiration for their sermons.

Themes: integration, complicity, privilege, greater good, bullying (victim), love

Sterling was lucky for a slum kid: they got a chance at an education, allowing them to get out and even start up their own workshop as a subcontractor. They were never all that good at actually talking to people, preferring machines and numbers - the insides of what makes things tick. They have always wanted to be a part of a community, to be respected and loved - so they decided to give back to the community by providing a decent workplace where people from the slums could earn fair wages.
The idea looked great on paper and worked for a time. But now, the whole thing is balancing on the verge of collapse. The contracting companies have been putting pressure on the prices, costs have been growing, workers are louder and louder, and the payments to the local union branch are getting a bit late. Recently, Sterling tried to right the ship by installing their child, Ardor, into the position of the manager, but that has only brought the fighting close to home, as Ardor’s cutthroat, pragmatic management style often clashes with Sterling’s social sensitivities and non-confrontational nature. Things are shaking.

Player: Sam Watson

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_.

Player: James Hewitt

Themes: family, legacy, writing

Born outside of La Cage but raised, nurtured and schooled right in the old hospital, Jo is a young person, but their ambitions are sky-high, mostly thanks to the high standards Tony, their parent, set upon them. Being the kid of the local teacher has not always been easy, but what is even worse, Tony is a very active person and has always had high expectations from Jo. Some would even say that Jo always competed with the standard set by Marie Pelletier, who made it out of La Cage and into the Moralintern administration. To add insult to injury, Marie regularly writes to Tony, who raised them, about their accomplishment, and JO JUST HATES IT.
So, yeah, Jo has some issues. But they also have their life ahead of them; they have a loving partner, perform as a DJ at a local club, work on a small, secret passion project, and everything will turn out fine in the end, right?

Player: Gray Pelstring

Themes: helping people, parenthood, death, drugs

Charlie is one of the best-known people in Revachol. They went to a fancy medical school and became a very skilled doctor. While they could’ve raked in money in any other place, they decided to come back to Revachol to help run the clinic. Charlie never let the poor pay a lot and lived a very simple life. They were repaid with love from the community. Almost everyone has been helped at least once by Charlie.
At least, that is how it looks from the outside. And Charlie is very, very intent on letting the sleeping dogs lie. Nobody is complaining too much: Charlie's practice in La Cage is one of the last reasons people come around and bring in some cash.

Player: David Owen

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.

Player: Eva Rößler

Themes: helping people, death, proving yourself, legacy

Dylan is wholly committed to their identity as “the doctor's heir”. They work at the clinic and help out wherever they can, dreaming of one day becoming a doctor themselves. They just wish their parent, Doctor Deer, would see that too. Instead, they favour their sibling Eliot, and so Dylan finds themselves always standing in the shadow of someone who could not care less about their legacy. Yes, Dylan sadly has some problems, and their high school endeavours are not yet good enough for medical university, but THEY WILL MANAGE. They will pull through, and they will show everybody. Be it through medicine, sheer grind, or their quite specific art.
In their attempts to impress their parent, Dylan will become more and more extreme, potentially setting off down a very dark path.

Player: Jakob Kneissl

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!

Player: David Winpenny

Themes: Scarred, solidarity, gratitude, family, religion

Sometimes, injuries to the soul cause more damage than malfunctioning tools. Years ago, Francis lost their wife in a workshop accident, and their life just fell apart after that. Their older kid with their partner, Ember, had managed somehow, but their younger, Marie, ended up in the foster care of Francis' old friend, Tony Eclissi. Francis has had a lot of problems, mostly caused by their attempts to drown their demons in alcohol. It took long, long years to fix up at least their physical side, and the Gessle family has supported them tirelessly. 

Things might also be finally turning around. Francis has managed to get a part-time job as the janitor of Apartment Block B, and through rehab and support groups around the church, they are getting ready to start living once again. They may even be able to look Marie in the eyes again when they come back to La Cage. Francis deeply believes that they have been given a second chance at life, and they must use it.

Player: Volgina Valeriia

Themes: family reconciliation, poverty, anger, growing up

Ember’s child Rudi grew up in misery. Their parents had to work hard at the workshop, leaving them and their sibling Reine to grow up alone – and make trouble in the neighbourhood.
Rudi was a kid when their parent died in an accident at the factory; they also felt the injustice like Reine did, but they were younger, and their reaction was accordingly milder. What remained was the notion of WHO caused the incident (migrant workers). This was probably also related to their generally reserved mindset; Rudi is still in contact with Reine and often tries to calm them down and reconcile the estranged family. The games they play with the Fantasy Dreamers have helped them cope with it all.
Rudi still lives with their surviving parent, Ember, and their grandparent, Francis, and works at Schwenk’s workshop. They are not part of the Union yet but are a very good candidate.

Player: Matěj Minka

Themes: runaway, redemption, bringing joy, helping others

The youthful Gabriel is kind and nice to everyone, and most people are kind and nice to them in return. Their kindness comes from a place of living in very unkind times, hanging around the wrong crowd, and having no home to return to. Gabriel was born in the better part of Revachol, and their parent, Nour, had them quite young. Gabriel came to La Cage few months ago, seemingly just for few nights: and the did not fit in. 
In the end, Gabriel and Nour ended up staying with the Deers, as Gabriel quickly switched to working at the bar and anywhere else where they were needed, while Nour slipped into a strange arrangement with the doctor.

Player: Tomasz Warzocha

Themes: mortality, racism, legacy

Everything ends. Now, Placide's life, too, is inching towards its end every day, even though they are not really looking forward to accepting it.
La Cage is their whole life. Placide built and repaired it four times with their own hands, always making it better than before. They were there when the place first became a hospital, and they were there when it stopped being a hospital. It was Placide who went ahead and managed to build a bar inside the hospital. A bar! Nobody believed in it back then, and now it is one of the staples of the place. Placide did this, and Placide even made some money from it all.
But, while La Cage can be rebuilt and repurposed, it's starting to seem that Placide can’t. Very soon, they will need somebody to take care of them - and of the establishment they created. While life dedicated to the bar brings a lot of acquaintances of various flavours and smells, it brings very little family. In its place, Placide only has old friends, youngsters who look up to them and most importantly, lots of people trying to steal what Placide and other good, local-born Revacholians have built.

Player: Janet Rybka

Themes: greater vs. individual good, escaping poverty, loss of ideals, suzerainism

Nour came into La Cage to be with their kid, Gabriel, maybe even to save them. They stayed much longer than anyone would have expected, but it is unclear whether that was due to necessity or some new feelings that developed during their stay with the Deers.

They even managed to keep their job, doing some sort of paperwork for somebody, always filling out papers and carrying them out of La Cage. Most people are puzzled: is this enough to make a living, or are they just living off the Deers? And what is actually their plan? Are they hiding from something? Hiding to do something? The noose of gossip is drawing closer and closer to the real nature of Nour's deal. But it is guaranteed that when they find out, they will be in for quite a surprise.

Player: Jan Kuchař

Themes: capitalism, greed, entitlement, privilege, inheritance, fascism

If Sterling was lucky for a slum kid, their child, Ardor, was luckier than most in La Cage. Born to relative comfort, they feel very entitled to their good fortune and their family’s position and determined to improve it. After finishing their Central Jamrock high school education, they came back home full of ideas about how to improve their parents’ struggling family business - mainly by focusing on the bottom line, cutting costs and not coddling the ungrateful riff-raff who work for them.
They persuaded their parent to put Ardor in charge of managing the day-to-day operations of the workshop, and since then, they have been gradually tightening the screws. They regularly clash with their parent and others in their family about their pragmatic, cutthroat strategies and have taken to occasionally going around their parent altogether - better to ask forgiveness than permission, after all.

Player: Zofia Jedrzejewska

Themes: journalism, neutrality, integrity, price of freedom.

Jez never dreamed of a great future—their highest hopes so far have been to get a steady job where they do not have to worry about when and whether the next paycheck will come. But sometimes, talent shines through, and Jez turned out to be quite skilled with a pen or, later, with a primitive typewriter.
Their friendly, sociable nature and honed people-reading skills make them well-integrated into multiple groups, but all their relationships are held at arm’s length - after all, the story always comes first. And while their family provides the safety net that their modest pay cannot offer now, it also means they are under the heel of their cousins. But now, as the tensions are running higher in the community - and in the Schwenk family - every camp would like to have the reporter on their side. Jez values their integrity and their freedom above all - but will they be able to retain it? Even if retaining their integrity meant going back to the sweatshop every single day for the rest of their life?

Player: Amélie Isoz

Themes: peace, fairness, internal struggle, division, conflict of interest

Always seemingly in opposition to their younger sibling, Barb never had quite the material luck or the education. What they did have was a deep empathy for the people around them. They could get a reasonably cushy job in the workshop, but instead, they insisted on toiling with the rank-and-file. The truth is that they would barely make ends meet without the support of their sibling. Despite their background, they cultivated many friendships and close relationships with their fellow workers, and they have tried to lobby for fairer conditions from their position as a well-respected old-guard unionist. They are not afraid to get in a fight, but despite that, they believe that everyone can just get along in peace in the end.
Recently, though, the younger, more radical guard have stopped being satisfied with Barb’s approach of dialogue but no dramatic action, pushing more strongly against the owners. While Barb may get their hands dirty with the poor and talk big, their family ties might still make them one of the bourgeoisie. What is even more difficult is that Barb has been cooperating with the Local Union Branch for years. The Union Branch that is quite clearly little more than an organised crime racket.

Player: Matěj Bělohoubek

Themes: traditionalism, prejudice, care, soft power

Zair is deeply convinced that the world is a good, right place. Of course, not everyone might make it - but good things happen to good people. Just look at how Sterling, their parent, pulled themselves up by their bootstraps! While their sibling Ardor focused on business, Zair decided to follow their passion for the community and shaping hearts and minds, and became a teacher - they believe that words are often the greatest weapon. They love their job and see all the neighbourhood’s children as their own - and like a good parent, they are ready to separate the wheat from the chaff. Their smooth and caring nature makes them well-respected by the parents, and they work hard to ensure that good and deserving children will have the futures they should have. And the bad seeds, those whose parents are drunkards, immigrants or layabouts - well, Zair knows how to cleverly apply discipline and humiliation to teach them their place.
After all, what is so bad about a bit of a return to tradition? People knew how to do things back in the day.

Player: Jan Vancl

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.

Player: Yaroslav Kopotilov

Themes: rituals, drugs, art, therapy

Olly is fascinated by the natural world—all its tastes, senses, mysteries, conflicts, bright colours and dimmed lights, cool breezes and hot air. First, they tried to convey all of it through paintings, sculptures, and other media, but then they met chemistry and a few cooks, and the rest, as they say, is history. Or it could be one day.
Olly is not in the business of cooking drugs in any great quantities. Nothing like that. Olly and their posse experiment in many fields, but the most important one is designer drugs, carefully crafted for the individual experience, with the effect desired by the client. At least, that is Olly's long-term plan. For now, what they have are some ideas and prototypes that need testing.

Player: Filip Kinczyk

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?

Player: Nikola Kunzová

Themes: meaning of love, believing in the ephemeral

Niko is a complicated one. In the past, they seem to have been extremely wealthy, at least judging from the older layers of their clothing. But bygones are bygones, and Niko is now a changed person: chaotic, mercurial, often angry, and prone to fits of violence in their very weird way. It's not that Niko hates the world; quite on the contrary, they love and accept everything in it. Including the highs, the lows, the closeness of love, the pain of fighting, and the glory of victory. Niko lives every second to the full, and that makes living with them very, very hard for everybody else. But as long as they provide both their wonderful art (miniatures) and, more importantly, they contribute to the designer drug thing, they are welcome.

Player: Carter Drost

Themes: coping through art, losing control, vulturism

Konrad is an innovator, a teacher, a guru, an annodic music prophet and a horrible, horrible person to actually run a music club.
A known figure of the Hardcore underground scene, Konrad has a strange way with music. While the others only listen, they really FEEL the music. The notes are words and self-vibing is a form of meditation. A producer who turns harsh life stories into sick beats and tries to find the real *themselves* with the music sounds hip and cool - until you need somebody to clean the floor, pay the bills or actually set up posters. Konrad has a posse of students that follow them around and help out, but...is this sustainable? Is this... is this... really hardcore?

Player: Astrid Kulsdom

Themes: catching up with the past, fragile relationships, rivalry

Hun was not born as a tough leader of a drillslam posse and a fairly successful clothes designer/maker. They used to be the younger sibling of Momma Meier, the matriarch of the now-rich Meier family. But when the going got tough, Hun did not want to comply with the new family rules, did not want to run a sweatshop, and found themselves more and more at odds with the rest of their family. After some unsavoury moments, Hun left the family apartment and business and had to stay with the sewer people for a few weeks.
But Hun built back. Now, they are leading a drillslam crew and running a “designer boutique” with their partner. Hun managed and won. So why is everything still balancing on a knife's edge all the time? Something's got to give.

Player: Alexis Bontemps

Themes: fragile relationships, struggling artist, trust

Luc had the bad luck of becoming an orphan - and the good luck of becoming an orphan who inherited at least some of the skills and tools of the trade. They managed to work themselves up to being a solid tailor - and then they found Hun and formed both a loving partnership and a small, struggling, but still existing clothes boutique.
And Luc has been blessed even more! They have encountered something beautiful, something larger than life, and they have been giving it their all. Something that is still very secret but all the more precious for that.