<Advanced> A Conrad-esque descent into darkness...and then a Lovecraftian descent into madness.


Air Cavalry attack, Apocalypse Now (1979) link to scene


TL;DR Summary:
- MxF No offense guys, but I want a female partner on this, if only because I feel like two dudes writing gets very buddy cop, very fast.
- I'm flexible about who and what the main characters are, but they're caught in the middle of a brutal shitstorm of a civil war in paradise.
- Setting is the tropical/jungle island chain known as the Thorne Islands, named for some Royal Navy officer who was the first white man to take a piss there.
- Based on the game Far Cry 3, "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, with a bit of H.P. Lovecraft embedded in for later on, as the plot unfolds.
- The Thorne Islands have indigenous people, the Vaki, that are being exploited by Hobbes-Horizon Inc, a large mineral company that runs a resort for employees to blow off steam and do what they want, in a 'secure' environment away from the oil fields of the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the diamond/mineral mines of Africa. It is an extreme vacation spot for mercenaries and others that want to have violent, rude fun.
- It also has lots of hookers and other exploited workers, as befits the tastes of trashy merc types that have scummy pleasures.
- The company also tries to bring in other tourists to the island to turn a profit on the whole thing, marketing it as a getaway for people that really want to blow off steam.
- A civil war erupts and the characters, probably these tourists, are caught in the middle, trapped on the island when the mercs clamp down and leave everyone stranded.
- The twist, of course, is what is manipulating this war, both sides, and why -- which of course is Lovecraftian and insanity inducing.

In Character Info:
The Thorne Islands were originally a tropical paradise that was self-sustaining for a small indigenous population, with the occasional safari hunter coming through to enjoy the nature, shoot some boar, and maybe spear some fish. History overlooked it, passed it by, until Hobbes-Horizon Inc. needed a vacation spot for employees spread across parts of the globe where they had operations -- the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia. These men, often security and mining types, had a way of life that meant they couldn't be dumped into Dubai or similar without trouble, but needed their own place to surf, hunt, hanglide, drink, smoke, whore and fight without being scrutinized by the local governments or media.

Hobbes-Horizon changed everything for the indigenous Islanders, the Vaki. Their way of life was disrupted by the initial offer of seemingly good jobs that turned into wage-enslavement for luxuries they previously did not need and the company ran the place like their own plantation. The UN didn't pay much attention to what was done, thanks to the influence of lobbying. To make more money, Hobbs-Horizon brought even more tourists in and seems intent on developing the island further. The people are abused, maltreated and they are discontent. The mercs get drunk, beat and abuse their women and shoot up the place and make life terribly under the pretext of 'blowing off steam.'

It's only a matter of time before they start fighting back.

And that's precisely what certain other agendas want.

Out of Character Info:
When Hobbes-Horizon mercs and the Vaki start shooting, the characters, as tourists, will be stuck on the Islands. Perhaps they didn't realize things were quite that bad. After all, this was their vacation, they probably spent it doing fun shit, not wondering about the people serving the drinks and cooking the food. The vacation was a blur of neon lights, dubstep and whatever substances they were taking to get bent. How could they know what was happening. Better yet, did they care until their party got interrupted?

Well, they care now that they're in it, don't they?

Meanwhile, there is a force of evil at work, being awoken from its slumber, and the characters are caught right in the middle of that, too.