Industry

Mortal

“I can’t believe I work this hard to be this poor.”
Anonymous
“You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy’s pocket.”
Frank Sobotka, The Wire
“Rich people work hard and believe it’s perfectly appropriate to be well rewarded for their efforts and the value they provide for others. Poor people work hard, but due to their feelings of unworthiness, they believe that it is inappropriate for them to be well rewarded for their efforts and the value they provide.”
T. Harv Eker

The World of Darkness is rife with the grinding of machinery, the thuds and clangs of smoke-billowing engines, and the ceaseless and thankless toil of its pastry-faced workers whose lives are ended far too early due to the constant exposure to toxins, long hours and stress. Those with this influence are able to control and direct the energy and actions of mortals who move in the industrial complex, blue collar, and service industry sector, including engineers, contractors, construction workers, and the poor souls who labor in factories and dead-end, minimum wage jobs.

Background Dots	Level of Influence
X	Non-employee customer
•	Entry level employee
••	Senior employee, low-level management, microbusiness owner
•••	Small business owner, middle management
••••	Larger business owner, upper management
•••••	Massive business owner

Sub-Pages

Flawless Spa

New Orleans’ premier beauty spa, located in the French Quarter. Owned and operated by Celia Flores.

GroundBorn

MMA gym located in Mid-City. Owned and operated by Kennedy Gordon and Lizzie Alarcon.

LegalWings Bail Bonds

The city’s biggest bail bond company, located in Mid-City. Owned and operated by Regina Dufresne.

Industry Influence ••••

Mark Mullman

Born: 1987
Up and coming young entrepreneur trying to break into a number of established industries in atypical ways, including commerce with both the upper crust and lower crust of society. For the upper class, these include delivery services, shopping services, reservation holding at various establishments, ticket ‘sales’ for sold-out shows, and providing experienced professionals to troubleshoot an array of problems from the mundane (such as power outages or internet issues) to the more complicated and specialized. For those on the other side, he runs several food trucks, provides micro loans, and is pioneering “microemployment” in which he essentially has occasional on-demand employees across the city, many of them providing a very specific service, often off the books. Charismatic and good at convincing people to go along with or buy into his ideas, Mark is incredibly hard-working, putting in long hours, working weekends, and taking a great deal of personal pride in each of his enterprises.

Nolan Moreno III

Born: 1980
Status: Aura Environmental Systems ••••
Owner of Aura Environmental Systems Inc., the waste company that collects much of New Orleans’ garbage, and founder of the controversial French Quarter Response Force quasi-police private security firm.

Industry Influence •••

Atticus “Tuck” Thompson

Born: 1957
Tuck had the potential to be a good looking man. Dark skin, good hairline, solid bone structure. He might have even once been a good looking man, maybe even handsome. But the years haven’t been kind to Tuck. He’s got a bent spine from years of working under the hood, fingers with knuckles as large as his nose, and hair that’s more pepper than salt. His daddy stuck around long enough to put a few kids in his mom before he skipped town, and by the time Tuck was in high school he had the rude awakening that his momma’s two jobs weren’t enough to pay the bills. So he dropped out, took up the first work he could find, and made sure his younger siblings all got through school. He found he was good at what he did and didn’t mind being covered in grease and oil all the time, so he stuck it out as a mechanic and became a well-known name in the city. He’s got an affordable “pay as you can” plan for his lower income clients that he offsets with the custom engines he builds for the people with money, and his proximity to the streets means he’s often in the know. Set of wheels goes missing? Crash your daddy’s Porsche at 3 AM? Need to strip something hot? Tuck can take care of it all.

Dahlia Rose Flores

Born: 1991
Status: Bloom Couture •••
Dahlia Rose Flores (no relation to Senator Maxen Flores or Celia Flores, though she considers both good clients) is a Honduran-born immigrant who came to the United States following the destruction to the country by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. She and her parents settled into New Orleans in early 2000 and had five good years before their lives were interrupted by another, more devastating storm: Katrina. Dahlia Rose was the sole survivor of the Flores family. She bounced around in foster care until she turned 18 and promptly set off on her own to see the world, pursuing a fashion design degree from Woodbury University in LA. By 2014 she was back to open Bloom Couture in the French Quarter, a combination conservatory and studio that marries florals and fashion. Her work has received great reception in many circles and is known all across the East Coast. Dahlia Rose herself is currently mid-twenties and usually busy working on various new lines and collaborations with a handful of local and national brands. She says she’ll slow down some day, just not today.

Dominic Hensler

Born: 1977
Dominic got his first dog when he was five months old, and by the time he was walking and talking he had that dog (a pit mix) trained to respond to the almost-snap of his infantile fingers. Ever since then he’s had a way with animals—dogs, mostly—that borders on a sixth sense and would put that ”Hollywood piece of shit trainer” to shame. Though his name isn’t as nationally well-known as the guy with the reality TV show, Dominic has enjoyed a lucrative career training dogs and other animals for all sorts of purposes: guard dogs, police dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, even circus animals. He has a contract with Blackwatch and the NOPD that sees he receives all of their would-be guard and police dogs and takes a handful of private clients on the side, all of whom he charges out the nose for. Doesn’t like dog shows, but he does occasionally breed for them and fetches a hefty stud fee from his pedigreed lines. Claims prior security consulting work, military experience, and police training, none of which show up in a background check. Has a handful of his own dogs, the current favorite of which is a corso/pitt named Bruce.

Frank O’Malley

Born: 1968
General contractor who picked up and moved from Boston to New Orleans after Katrina, and subsequently made a killing. Avowed racist who hates African-Americans but not Latinos, whom he employs in mass. Claims his racism is based on experience rather than bigotry. Most of his work is residential, but he’s trying to get an in with local government for bigger contracts. Owns a fair bit of property throughout the city. Has six Irish Catholic brothers he brought with him working under him as job site supervisors. Indicted for assault with a deadly weapon after beating a man nearly to death with a pair of brass knuckles, but got off when the witness skipped town.

Raquel Byers

Born: 1984
Raquel was a stay-at-home mom until her daughter turned four. When her husband didn’t show up for the child’s birthday party Raquel assumed something terrible had happened, and she spent the night making calls and trying to track him down. He wandered in at midnight with red lipstick smeared across his collar, smelling of booze and sex, and Raquel kicked him to the curb. She’d watched her mother go through the same struggle with her father and didn’t want to set that sort of example for her child. Unfortunately Raquel hadn’t worked in five years and quickly realized that re-entering the job market with no degree, limited hours, and a huge gap in her resume wouldn’t net her the sort of income she needed to raise a child on her own. Rather than throw in the towel, Raquel took it with her. The towel, that is. She started cleaning homes for her neighbors and quickly realized that an hour’s worth of work and a few dollars in cleaning products had the potential to grow into its own sort of business.
Partners in Grime began in early 2013 with a mop and a dream, or at least that’s how Raquel tells the story. She often says that maid services are a dime a dozen and as easy to start as any other entrepreneurial venture, and that she was drawn to the idea of starting a cleaning company because of the low overhead and start-up costs. Or maybe because she watched a little too much Sunshine Cleaning. Regardless, Partners in Grime began with just one maid and soon blossomed into the company that it is today. It’s still a relatively small company with only two dozen employees, but their flexible hours, friendly faces, and quick service means that they’re constantly busy. They specialize in residential cleaning but have recently begun to take on corporate gigs as well, and are known to be one of the companies to call for crime scene cleanup. Their motto is, “You do the crime, we’ll clean the grime.” Raquel herself is no longer one of the maids that visits houses (she started making enough to quit scrubbing floors shortly after her first few months in business), and now oversees operations while she pursues a marketing degree at Delgado Community College. Her ex showed up for the last time in 2015 and tried to sue her for half her company, then came after her for custody, but Raquel deftly handled both legal battles and he hasn’t been seen since. Her daughter, Olivia, is now a first grader at McGehee.

Industry Influence ••

Elizabeth “Liz” Williams

Born: 1986
Blond and perky, most people are surprised and unnerved when they learn that Liz spends most of her days working with high explosives. A demolitions expert that contracts out to an array of construction companies, she got her start working with the Army Corp of Engineers and first visited New Orleans back in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina with them as a young enlisted engineer only a few months out of training. Upbeat, constantly positive, and genuinely loves her job, though in the days leading up to actual demolitions she tends to work long hours. Fierce social liberal, but hard-charging fiscal conservative who cleverly manages her money to avoid the feast and famine construction boom. Originally from the Midwest, she loves the diversity of New Orleans cuisine and music, having been fed on corn and country music as a child.

Hippolyte “Big Mon of Monteleone” Broussard

Born: 1956
Family: The Broussards
Towering, thick-bodied ex-cop who somewhat famously works as a shoe shiner outside the unequivocally famous Hotel Monteleone and Carousel Bar. Less remembered for serving almost a decade at the Farm after being first convicted of brutally assaulting Vera Malveaux and later exonerated when the true perpetrator was discovered.

Jack Kinney

Born: 1973
Former detective turned private investigator, Jack’s frequent employer Caroline Malveaux-Devillers considers him a poor substitute for Louis Fontaine. He left the force to save his second marriage in search of a job that let him work more reasonable and consistent hours. Jack lacks Lou’s connections and instincts, and is just a bit too abrasive with some people. What he does have is a solid knowledge of the city and who can do what, and of the city’s police force, which was Caroline’s primary interest in him. Good at following up on leads on his own time, and largely refuses to work nights. As a result, Caroline uses him mostly to follow up on bureaucratic leads. Coordinates relatively effectively, if not well, with others brought in due to his knowledge of the city. Caroline hired him based on recommendation of hired (out of town) investigators (and based on CBD convenience).

Manuel Lopez

Born: 1987
Despite the thick accent, Manuel was born in the States to Esteban and Carlita Lopez in southern California. Esteban worked in the strawberry fields, and whenever childcare fell through he would take Manuel and his siblings to the fields with him to keep an eye on them. Manuel grew up around plants. He learned from a young age how to care for and cultivate a variety of bushes, shrubs, and flowers, and when he was ten he began his first garden in his parent’s backyard. He took a landscaping job as soon as he was old enough to work to stay close to the plants that he loved so much, serving first as general labor and then as a consultant to clients who wanted to do something special with their rolling lawns. His name became known all across Southern California and, supposedly, he’s done work for plenty of A-list movie stars. He took a job at Woodbury University to care for their conservatory, which is where he met Dahlia Rose Flores. They bonded over their shared love of plants and became fast friends despite his non-student role on campus. When she moved back to New Orleans to open her business he came with her and has worked for her since. She laughingly calls him her “plant whisperer” because of his skill with the plants. Manuel works odd hours to keep up with his plants (he says some of them require care at night and others at high noon), but serves as the unofficial manager when Dahlia Rose isn’t around.

Patrick Robins

Born: 1963
Unlike most of the security contractors at Harrah’s, Patrick didn’t take the rent-a-cop approach. He’s not former military, didn’t fail a detective test, isn’t a retired mall cop looking for a part time gig. He’s just a guy who gets paid to look at TV monitors. He’s what they call the Eye in the Sky. He spends a lot of time looking at tits and ass rather than searching for cheaters. Certifiable genius, though, so if something goes wrong with any of the systems he’s the guy to ask. Unfortunately his penchant for computers has left him a little lackluster with the ladies. Not because they don’t like him, but because he doesn’t like them. He’d rather hire escorts when he needs to get his rocks off or visits the Champagne Room on Bourbon Street if he’s looking for something quick and easy. He prefers his women to be seen and not heard, which is why he’s well-suited to watching multiple banks of monitors in the security room. Two years ago he caught someone cheating on a Bad Beat hand at the poker table that prevented a several million dollar payout and hasn’t had to worry about his job security since.

Ranjeet Pavaghi

Born: 1980
Family: The Pavaghis
Slovenly gaming recluse, lackadaisical IT manager for his father’s online businesses, and owner of the exploitive if financially fecund Dr. Sheen Sanitation Services, LLC.

Shelby Wright

Born: 1975
A former door-to-door saleswoman turned community outreach manager, Shelby’s life was derailed by Hurricane Katrina. Losing first her job and her home, she faced homelessness and worse as she was forced to work varied menial jobs to make ends meet in a city that largely ignored the poorer (and blacker) communities during rebuilding efforts. Eventually hired on by Caroline Malveaux-Devillers at the suggestion of Jack Kinney, who had worked with her in in his past life as a cop in poorer districts, to assist with canvasing for Caroline both directly and working with other investigators. Has a good way with most people, and is often able to encourage others to offer information they might not of a uniformed (white male) investigator in the city.

Industry Influence •

Carla Rivera

Born: 1991
Family: The Riveras
Bartender, maid, nanny, community college student, and single mother, Carla tries to do it all. Born in Mexico, she came over the border with her mother when she was only five years old. The family moved from Houston to New Orleans as part of the mass exodus in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to get away from the abusive influence of the coyote who got them across the border. Carla barely remembers Texas, let alone Mexico, but her illegal status makes it difficult to obtain legitimate employment. A devout Catholic, she has a large tattoo of Jesus Christ on her right shoulder, and another of the Virgin of Guadalupe on her left. Uncertain what her future holds, she prays frequently for her three-year-daughter: as an American citizen, she’ll have opportunities her mother never will. Carla remains willing to do almost anything to ensure that the little girl grows up to be successful, but it’s only a matter of time until her own past catches up with her. Though she makes a respectable living working as a bartender, and makes more on the side with her own small business with a maid service during the day, the trail of off-the-books money she depends on is eventually going to land on someone’s desk, and when it does INS is soon to follow.

Dao Le Phuong

Born: 1940
Dao Le Phuong was born at the beginning of World War II in Saigon, Vietnam. Her father was active in the Viet Minh and lead waves of men against first the French and then the British soldiers stationed in the area in a bid for Vietnam’s freedom. She grew up learning from her mother how to care for the wounded, and though she was not allowed a combat role she still played an active and integral role in The French War and then The American War. Following the fall of Saigon in ‘75, Phuong moved to the United States and settled in New Orleans. Like most of the Vietnamese immigrants she moved into Versailles to live a quiet life. Only after Katrina in 2005 did Phuong decide to move herself closer to the city proper, and in 2014 she found the atmosphere of Bloom Couture to her liking. She set up an apothecary within the shop. Phuong doesn’t speak much English despite her four decades within the city, but she’s very good at understanding what people tell her and using gestures to effectively communicate. She seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what people need before they even speak to her about it.

Dao Van Quyen

Phuong’s grandchild and assistant at Eden Source Herbals. Recent graduate from Frederick A. Douglass high school but taking a “gap year” to decide which direction he wants to take with his life. He’s not really sure that he believes in all the “traditional medicine” that his grandmother peddles, but he plays it up for the tourists and suburban housewives that come into the store to try something new. When he’s not at the shop he’s usually running around Algiers or New Orleans East with his friends.

Darcy “Kelly Quirk” Quillen

Bass player, accordionist, and backup singer for the celtic-punk band, St. John’s Banshees. Ex-crack addict who attends “Father” O’Keele’s NA meetings. Gained local notoriety for her underage sexual involvement with a teacher at St. Augustine High School, prompting her to go by her current pseudonym. Presently works the shoe counter at Mid-City Lanes.

Estrellado “Star” Ortzi

Born: 1972
Estrellado Ortzi is a forty-something maid that works for Partners in Grime, one of New Orlean’s cleaning companies. She’s been with the company since its inception in the early 2010s and is one of the most senior maids in the service. As a result, she’s often found polishing the floors of NOLA’s more wealthy residents. She has a knack for getting any stain out of any surface and even dabbles in crime scene cleanup. She might have been a looker in her youth, but Estrellado (she lets non-Hispanic people call her “Star” if they can’t roll their R’s properly) got pregnant right out of high school and has spent the past 20-odd years raising her babies. She married her high school sweetheart and was heartbroken when he passed away when her youngest was in kindergarten. She hasn’t remarried, instead choosing to work two jobs to make ends meet and pay the bills. Her friends say that her heart will always belong to Mateo. She was extremely proud when both of her boys were accepted into LSU.

Jake Abel

Born: 1987
Family: The Garcias
Iraq veteran and purple heart recipient who left the service trying to start over. Mild-PTSD, which bothers him more because of his mild reaction than its actual effects. Now works for O’Malley as a carpenter, though he’s uncomfortable with his boss’ racism and “hero” treatment of him as a former vet. Tries to play down his military service. Has a pregnant girlfriend at Tulane (Natalia Garcia). Fiercely pro-life, and trying to carve out a future for them both. Had an absent father and grew up extremely poor, doesn’t want his child to go through the same.

Neveah Melanthios

Neveah Melanthios, as she’s known in the clubs she frequents, is the type of girl who looks like every stereotypical stripper you’ve ever seen: big hair, big lashes, long nails, tight body. She says she’s not from the city originally, just came here for Mardi Gras one year and decided to stay, and ever since she’s been working at various strip clubs in the Quarter. “Boys are still boys, even on vacation,” as she says. She’s got a handful of sugar daddies that pay for her extensions and glamdrobe (”it’s like wardrobe but glamorous”), a walk-in closet the size of a bedroom, and a booty almost as big as her attitude. Some of her coworkers (”jealous bitches”) claim that she turns tricks on the side and gets a little too handsy in the VIP rooms, but Neveah has never been busted for anything of the sort and she thinks they’re more than a little envious of how much money she brings in each night. That or one of her sugar daddies is on the police force. Or she’s sleeping with the manager. Who even knows with her. She skirts the line between trashy and classy—a delicate line, but she totters right above it in sky-high club heels and sequined party dresses. She looks like the kind of girl who is fond of cracking her gum.

Ricky Malone

Born: 1999
Family: The Malones
Half-Italian 17-year-old up and coming Golden Gloves boxing prodigy from the worst projects of the city with Olympic ambitions. Ricky is a local celebrity on the verge of greatness, if his gambling habits don’t destroy him first. Currently in deep to the mob, who have begun to threaten him. Son of a single mother who worked three jobs to pay for his training and education, and who could not be more proud of her “boy.”

Zahira Pavaghi

Born: 1997
Family: The Pavaghis
For all the wealth associated with the Pavaghi name, not all of that wealth is shared equally amongst its scions. Though Walter had once been looked down on for failing to be as successful as his younger siblings, the real embarrassment came when their younger sibling, Ishita, failed out of Xavier and ran off with her decades-older professor. Three years later she was back with two babies on her hip and no husband in sight. She quietly returned to life under her father’s rule, re-enrolled in college, and managed to earn a degree while nannies and her mother took care of her babies for her. The older of those two children, Zahira, was rebellious from a young age and had no intention of “falling back in” with the family that, in her mind, forced her mother into a career and a life she didn’t want with a stepfather who wasn’t particularly interested in her. Rather than go the traditional route of law or real estate, Zahira threw herself into the creative arts. After graduating high school she took an internship at Bloom Couture under Dahlia Rose, who has taken the wayward Pavaghi under her wing to teach her the ins and outs of the fashion industry. So far she has been exceedingly happy with her new position, and rumor is that she’ll be displaying her own line soon beneath the Bloom Couture name.