[center] [img]http://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/image-files/embassy-of-the-united-states-of-america-quito-ecuador.jpg[/img] [i]In global news, the civil war in the South American republic of Valverde has taken a dramatic turn. The anti-government forces of General Leopoldo Cortes are confirmed to have entered the capital city of Esmarcion and are meeting only token resistance in the suburbs. Elements of the city's garrison are believed to have defected rather than fight against Cortes, who has been denounced as a terrorist by the US State Department. Spokesmen for the anti-government forces have released a prepared statement, announcing their intention to place the President of Valverde, Augustin Ochoa, on trial for charges of alleged war crimes and corruption. At this time, the whereabouts of President Ochoa are unknown. There are unconfirmed reports that he has sought shelter in the United States Embassy. . .[/i] [/center] [hider=Background: Civil War in Valverde] When Augustin Ochoa was elected as President of the Republic six years ago, there was general optimism- a hard thing to come by in a country like Valverde, where cynicism is cheap and loyalties can be bought and sold. Ochoa ran on an appealing platform, promising to jumpstart the struggling economy and combat the endemic problem of the cocaine cartels operating in the rural areas. Six years passed, and none of these promises seemed to have materialized. While Ochoa has greatly strengthened ties with the United States, unemployment is still sky-high and the Valverdan peso is next to worthless. The only people who seem to have gotten richer are the cartels and Ochoa himself- a fact that few people are willing to attribute to coincidence. The seeds of the war were planted when a popular general in the Valverdan Army, Leopoldo Cortes, was ordered out on maneuvers against “illegal squatters”- in reality, a harmless Native American settlement that was being scapegoated for the rise of crime. A militia of cartel mercenaries who happened to be in the area and feared arrest ambushed Cortes. The clash resulted in dead on both sides before the mercenaries withdrew. Incensed by the deaths of his men, Cortes requested reinforcements in order to pursue and engage the cartels. The requested armor and air support was denied by the orders of the President. Instead, Cortes was ordered to directly apologize to the cartel leadership. Ochoa went so far as to send Cortes a shopping list of rare wines and brandies that the cartel head would consider acceptable as gifts. This was too far. General Cortes led his men on nothing short of a rampage against the cartel, seizing numerous warehouses full of cash and drugs. Units of Military Police sent to bring Cortes to heel were fired upon, and the point of no return was crossed. The drug money went to good use, “convincing” other officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Military Police to help- those who did not join Cortes willingly. Not all of the military joined in, however, a good percentage stayed loyal to President Ochoa. Fighting throughout the countryside and smaller urban areas has led to thousands dead and sharply divided loyalties among civilians. However, Cortes' revolution has continued to pick up steam, until now, after six months of fighting, they are at the doors of the lightly defended capital city. [/hider] [center][img]https://catflag.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/military-coup-image-from-bbc-news.jpg[/img][/center] [hider=The Present Situation] In the capital city of Esmarcion, the streets are quiet. The once bustling city now holds only a fraction of its usual population of three million. Many of the locals have fled for the relative safety of the coast. Those that remain behind have sought shelter in basements or the tunnels of the Esmarcion Metro. The streets are patrolled by blue-helmeted United Nations peacekeepers from several different nations, attempting to bring some some sort of order and stability to the war-torn republic. Many of these peacekeepers have been assigned to protect the legitimate, UN-recognized government of the country- none other than Ochoa. Although the man has tripled his bodyguard with hired guns from all over the world, he remains jittery and paranoid. When the news breaks of the fighting in the suburbs, Ochoa finally comes to the realization that all hope is lost for his regime. Leaping into his Presidential limousine, he drives to the US Embassy compound, bodyguards and Blue Helmets in tow, and demands protection from the country that has been his longtime patron. But General Cortes is making rapid progress through the city, and it will not be long until they reach the compound. And there is nothing Cortes wants quite so much as to see Ochoa pay for his crimes. The war for Valverde has come down to just one office building and a mixed bag of defenders- Ochoa's bodyguards, United Nations peacekeepers, and of course the United States Marines tasked with the security of the Embassy. [/hider] [center][img]http://www.mafhoum.com/press5/flags_files/flagd_files/capt.1048185187.ecuador_iraq_war_reax_qto105.jpg[/img][/center] [hider=Notes] The game will be primarily set in and around the United States Embassy Compound in the city of Esmarcion, Valverde. Both the city and the country are fictional, of course, allowing us some creative leeway. For general visual reference, I have been using the beautiful city of [url=http://www.ourdunya.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/4423228242_0ffc99fc69_b.jpg]Cali[/url], Colombia as a stand-in for Esmarcion. Details on the Embassy will be posted shortly. Players will play as the people trapped inside or actively defending the diplomatic compound. I, the GM, will assume control of the opposing force- Cortes and his men. This is a RP that encourages improvisation and negotiation as tools in this conflict. You guys will not have a lot of overwhelming force at your disposal- you're highly outnumbered and lightly armed, with no backup or support. Finally, please be aware that I will not be forgiving as a GM. The possibility of your character being killed or seriously injured is always present. Actions will have serious consequences. [/hider] [hider=CS Template] Please post character sheets in the OOC for review. Once accepted, then and only then you may post under the CS tab. [b]Appearance:[/b] A suitable [u]photograph[/u](no anime, no drawings) of your character. [b]Name:[/b] Your character's name. [b]Age:[/b] Your character's age. [b]Gender:[/b] Nonbinary genders are totally fine by me. [b]Nationality:[/b] What country are you from? [b]Occupation/ Employer/ Rank (if applicable):[/b]What do you do and what company or entity do you work for? If you are military, police, or something similar, what rank do you hold? [b]Psyche:[/b] What makes your character tick? How do they view the world and people around them, and how does this make them react to things. No one's perfect, everyone capable of greed, pride, and other vices. [b][b]History:[/b][/b] I don't need more than one or two paragraphs here, but the more detail the better. [/hider] [hider=Rules] All rules of RP Guild apply. Metagaming, godmodding, munchkins, all that stuff isn't allowed. You guys know what constitutes fair play, and I expect you to abide by it. As GM, my word is absolute. That's not to say it can't be questioned, though, I'm human and I'm not immune to mistakes or misunderstandings. If you'll feel I'm being unfair, please let me know. Please leave all OOC in the OOC thread. Also, keep OOC civil and polite. Remember, we're all doing this for fun, there's no need to get uptight or rude. Keep it loose, keep it fun. Foul language is totally fine by me. We're roleplaying a violent and stressful situation, it'd be pretty ridiculous if no one swore while being shot at. [/hider]