Byron Blue Barracuda is a hunched middle-aged man with a sullen look and a mocking grin. He dresses only in midnight blue fabrics and never shows himself without the top hat that belonged to his powerful uncle. Indeed, he is the only descendant of a cadet branch of the immense Blue Barracuda dynasty. Byron would never have been selected to participate in the Coronation Challenge had he not married the very rich Gloria Grey Goose of the Grave Burials. And most importantly, if he hadn’t founded Burial Industries with her. His success is best showcased by the motto that echoes through the echelons of high society: “No one really dies unless they are buried in a Blue coffin from the Burial Industries”. But original Blue coffins not only have a price tag a thousand times greater than a traditional casket, they are also viciously difficult to get a hold of. When a new model is announced, the wealthiest of the wealthy start lining up outside the Burial Stores days in advance, yet many return home empty-handed. Some accuse Byron of intentionally keeping a choke-hold on the supply in order to set such absurd prices, to which he replied “If the poor are feeling stingy, they can let someone build them a pyramid instead.

Yuri Yellow Yak is the heir to the immense fortune of the Yarn & Cotton Industries. His father is none other than the famous tycoon York Yellow Yak of Yarn Industries, while his mother is the opulent Clara Cyan Carp, owner of Cotton Manufactures. His social channel Happy Hit Horsefly Hunter, where he posts videos of himself chasing horseflies while wearing his now iconic solid gold ornaments, boasts millions of subscribers. Last year he was often featured on the front pages of gossip tabloids for his alleged romance with the highly decorated Admiral Adam Azure Ant, director of the Ancient All Army Academy. The public unanimously condemned the alleged love story, since Adam has been married for years to veteran Major Mortimer Mahogany Mouse. Yuri, pressed by the press and his followers, has declared in a live Webcast that he is not a home wrecker and that he has only two interests in life: shooting his rifle at horseflies and multiplying profits for his company. In the last year he has been true to his words, publishing a hunting video a day and incorporating the Cotton in the Yarn to create a colossus with a stellar turnover.

Regina Red Roach is the opulent granddaughter of the renowned Reginald Red Roach III, founder of the Red Roach Railway and nicknamed Rusty Reginald by the press following the rusty Railway scandal on the low-income commuter route. In addition to being the current owner of the Railway industries, Regina is very famous for having won two reality shows – the cooking hit “Fantastic Fat Food”, as well as the speculative, high pressure “Short Sell Stinking Stocks”. The latter not only propelled her to fame amongst the younger generations, it also alerted the world to an upcoming star for the Coronation Challenge. However, Regina has also faced some criticism by the elders of many noble Houses, who do not deem her worthy ever since her eco-friendly switch to Diesel powered engines. Munroe Magenta Marmot of the Motors Industries publicly shamed her for improving the efficiency of her locomotives and no longer caring about the higher cause of global warming.“If the super-rich don’t do their part in actively poisoning the planet”, Munroe explained, “where are we going to end up?”. But Regina would have none of it and she pointed out that recent scientific studies showed that Diesel is far from eco- friendly; besides, she reminded everyone that her only real goal is increasing profits. But to get back in the conservatives’ good books, Regina has revealed in a recent press conference her plans to double the pollution from her factories, in order to contribute as much as possible to global warming.

Gorgo Green Gecko is an ordinary businessman who claims to descend from the forgotten Green Gecko lineage. There is no living man in the Stock States who remembers the Green Geckos, but today Gorgo is simply too rich and powerful for anyone to still raise any doubts. Gorgo had his lucky break following an uncanny series of coincidences, the most significant being the untimely death of his mentor Parker Pea Pig, owner of the casino chain Poker, and the mysterious murder of his main competitor Brian Brown Bat, of the rival Blackjack enterprise. After inheriting Parker’s fortunes and bullying the Brown Bat heirs into selling their business at a bargain price, Gorgo became a monopolist in the gambling industry. He went on to found Gambling Inc., his holding company, and today his casinos are in every corner of the empire, making him one of the richest individuals in the Stock States. Many have speculated that Gorgo’s hand looms over the mysteries of Parker’s departure and Brian’s murder, but Police owner Paul Pink Puffin has declared that Green Gecko’s alibis hold and that his innocence is beyond question. Some still whisper, however, that Paul was not impartial to Gorgo’s trial: could it be a coincidence that the Police owner’s hefty debts to the gambling industry were canceled virtually overnight, as soon as the jury acquitted Gorgo of all charges?

Olivia Orange Ostrich, sophisticated collector of endangered animal furs, is the owner of Oil Industries and wife of Chester Cerulean Centipede of the Coal Industries. Chester used to be insanely rich, but in recent years his business has declined due to the choice of many large industries – such as the Red Roach Railway – to power their engines with diesel. On the other hand, for this very reason the Oil Industries are now overflowing with Money. Everyone knows that her husband, in his youth, had already participated in a previous edition of the Coronation Challenge, alas with no success. Now it’s Olivia’s turn to try where Chester failed, and she certainly has a better chance of succeeding. Indeed, a few months earlier she was presented with the prestigious “Heartless Human” award. During the ceremony, Academy President Hector Hazel Herring declared her as the frontrunner for the Coronation Challenge stating, “As an oil executive, Olivia has unfailingly demonstrated her extraordinary talent for producing profit by mercilessly exploiting workers and natural resources. We all have great faith in her!”.

Petunia Purple Platypus is the most photographed shopaholic on the planet. Her looks, nights out and vices are covered every day by all the magazines she owns. But don’t think she is just a young woman with no taste for moneymaking! Petunia is actually a real shark and, after inheriting the Press Industries from her father Peter, she bought, absorbed or destroyed all her major competitors before reaching the age of twenty. It is rumored that the bulk of the Platypus’ wealth doesn’t originate from newspaper sales, but rather from the news that they cover up or distort in favor of the highest bidder. Some claim that the nomination for the Stock Monarchy Challenge was the reward for suppressing some inconvenient news that threatened to sully the reputation of the Squeezepeople behemoth (the all-famous Employment Agency for the Poor), belonging to none other than the current Supreme Sovereign, Stewart Silver Skunk. As a matter of fact, it appears that Stewart himself directly nominated Petunia by leveraging his nomination right as the outgoing ruler. One thing is certain: every noble house of the Stock States can boast to have exploited, at one time or another, the Press industries for their personal gain.