the press

raid of slateport bar results in arrests

may 30 • written by boopie sockborn

in late may, there was a league raid of lower slateport bar ritual’s infamous underground “speakeasy”, after one person reported being threatened for posting about it on social media. what began as a sort of urban legend in recent years gave rise to real suspicion by authorities that an approximately seven-mile-long tunnel, a supposed illegal smuggling route leading from under the bar to the coast of slateport, did, in fact, exist.

once a warrant was obtained, league officers arrived and were able to eventually find a way into the lower bar via an obscured entrance in a nearby building. after traveling “through a long maze”, police arrived at the underground “speakeasy”, which many longtime patrons of ritual have claimed were told by staff did not exist. owner virgil roach has since insisted that it was “never a secret, it just wasn’t being advertised”.

several arrests were made at the scene, most on unrelated outstanding warrants. though the supposed seven-mile tunnel was never located, nor its existence confirmed, police did find illegally imported goods, including but not limited to tobacco products, alcohol, and designer berries. roach was taken into custody on the suspicion that these imports were for commercial purposes, however he maintained that he did not know he was committing any crimes, and never had any intention of selling these goods. he has since been released and heavily fined.

owner of ritual opens new nightclub

july 11 • written by foncy vinaigrette

virgil roach, owner of controversial slateport bar ritual, has announced his grand opening of a new nightclub on july 22nd. club apogee is a sprawling three-story beachfront venue, complete with rooftop pool, multiple bars, and a massive dancefloor with an impressive sound system. while this is exciting news for many, others have wondered how it has been possible for small bar owner virgil roach to meet his deadline for the grand opening, considering the legal battles and hefty fines he has faced relating to the raid of his bar, ritual, in late may.

it’s been well over a month since police stormed the lower level of the old bar, which has stood in slateport’s lower district for nearly a century. after its purchase by roach in 2018, ritual became the source of many rumors and controversy, which eventually led to authorities obtaining a search warrant. the raid resulted in many arrests, including that of owner roach himself, though there were only small charges and most of the arrests were unrelated to the bar’s activities.

while ritual continues to be a favorite for many slateport bargoers to relax, wind down with a good whiskey, and shoot some pool, roach has said that the bad press has hurt his business. he laments that “slateport pd has bigger things to worry about in this city than attacking local businesses to meet their quota”. he also expressed frustration over having to temporarily let go of employees last month due to a steep decline in patronage.

despite all this, the ambitious business owner has high hopes for recovering with the opening of club apogee. “we’re moving forward, anyways,” he said with a smile. when asked if he has any concern that the new nightclub will be under special scrutiny by league authorities, he responded, “they can kiss the dirtiest part of my hairy a**.”

the businesses

RITUAL, LOWER SLATEPORT

established in 1929. its old school charm has been maintained, from the rich character of its mahogany bar, to its iconic green stained-glass light fixtures. it has a dimly lit and relaxing atmosphere. black leather couches invite to stay and enjoy a good cigar. there are free pool tables to enjoy. unfortunately, there is no hot food; however, kettle chips are offered (salt and vinegar only).

the upstairs

- open and welcoming to the public, and doing its best to present itself as a safe place for all. the crowd these days tends to be older, mostly made up of regulars who have been frequenting ritual long before roach took ownership.

the speakeasy

– downstairs. now technically open to the public, but difficult to find unless you know how to get to it, and dangerous to be in if you clearly don’t belong. if uptairs ritual were weenie hut jr’s, this would be the salty spitoon. it’s frequented by poachers, smugglers, dealers, and participants of every facet of slateport’s criminal underbelly—especially rocket, which now has a heavy hand in black-market operations that occur here. enter at your own risk. if you make it in, you’ll find a much better selection of cigars and booze than upstairs.

the tunnel

– a seven-mile tunnel stretching from underneath ritual to a secret port on the coast of slateport. its entrance is hidden in plain sight behind several movable stone and dirt walls carefully constructed to look like natural formations, and protected by a built-in barrier meant to prevent detection by technology from above-ground. currently mostly out of use due to the barrier surrounding hoenn.

CLUB APOGEE, SLATEPORT BEACH

a skyscraper-style monument to modernity constructed by vanguard (Rita Garnet), and ritual’s opposite in almost every way. it’s sleek, sexy, with glass tables and many futuristic, metallic elements. it boasts a bar on each story with expensive and trendy cocktails. a massive dancefloor at the bottom can be viewed from the second story, which features a balcony railing. upstairs opens up to the rooftop, with another smaller stage and a massive infinity pool overlooking slateport’s shoreline. most impressive is the art-piece which hangs from the top ceiling over the dancefloor: a giant neon light fixture with effects meant to resemble a giant colorized nebula.

the employees

slate milhaus (npc)
senior bartender @ ritual – 53 – team rocket
there is an ongoing joke that when roach purchased ritual, he was actually paying for slate milhaus, and the bar just happened to come as part of the deal. though quiet, he is witty, a wealth of knowledge, and a walking cocktail recipe book. it’s rumored that he’s never once called in during his 37 years of employment.


other profiles will be added upon hiring.

application for employment

roach is known within the service industry as a caring and fair employer, and positions to work for him have been sought after in the past. it is generally believed in the industry that club apogee will be a lucrative workplace, and that ritual’s business will also pick back up with time.

employment is open to both league and rocket characters. there is no requirement for being involved in crime. most of them won’t know what’s going on behind closed doors (unless you dm me to plot <3).

positions available: management (apogee), security (ritual & apogee), bartenders (ritual & apogee), cocktail servers (apogee), dancers (apogee), lifeguards (apogee), medics (apogee)


[b]name:[/b]
[b]age:[/b]
[b]position & location applied for:[/b]
[b]employment history:[/b]
[b]how would you describe yourself in a work environment? what are your strengths?:[/b]
[b]why do you want to work for ritual/club apogee?:[/b]