In-Character Thread
Welcome to San Marlín
San Marlín, a roughly hewn emerald island located in the crystal clear aquamarine waters of the Lesser Antilles islands. A mere stone’s throw from the coasts of northern Venezuela, the island was named by Spanish explorers after the abundance of the namesake sailfish teeming in the nearby waters. Like many islands of the Lesser Antilles and indeed the Caribbean on the whole, San Marlín enjoys a measure of sovereignty granted to it by it’s former Dutch overlords following their decolonisation efforts in the wake of World War 2. In centuries past, the island swapped ownership between the Dutch and Spanish many times and traces of both European cultures, as well as traditional Afro-Caribbean roots can be found to this day.
San Marlín is mainly known for three things. Cheap Holidays. Fishing and also the inexorable Petroleum industry. The rich reservoirs of natural fossil fuels contained deep below the glassy waters and on the coasts contain several dozen years worth of crude oil and so have been exploited by the powers that be for the benefit of the first world. The oil is processed on site and shipped to partners across the globe that include the U.S and the Netherlands to name two. Due to this, San Marlín could be considered one of the richest small Caribbean islands, with a strong tourism industry and secondary Aloe and Sugarcane export to pad out it’s coffers.
As with a lot of the world, the oil money rarely finds it’s way back to the people and the petroleum industry is barely tolerated, they are further vilified due to numerous oil spills and extensive pollution to the waters surrounding the area. Additionally, the island has been the centerpoint of increasing tensions with the Venezuelan government, officially it’s gripe is with fishing rights to the nearby waters though it’s obvious it’s part of a wider campaign to curb western influences in the region, with Venezuela becoming tighter partners with Russia, it’s obvious why.
The South American nation’s partnership with Russia is not just one of economic benefit, but of military also, with the supply of hundreds of small arms, vehicles and aircraft it has bolstered the nation’s strength several fold and brought about a new era in the country's fraught history. NATO and western powers have been unwilling to be drawn into lengthy political conflict over the region and have awarded nothing but inefficacious threats and hollow words.
San Marlín is officially a protectorate of the Dutch government and maintained a token force upon the island as part of an international peacekeeping force, though in recent years due to military budget cuts the base fell by the wayside and was then occupied by a newly formed San Marlín Defence Force, a light military utilising mainly old cold-war hand me downs that were thrust into the hands of untrained men and women. It’s barely enough to ward off pirates though maintains a semblance of peace among the discontented populace.
Due to the rising tempers in the region, as well as the obvious jingoistic military parades carried out by the Venezuelan military, a smaller installation has been bought out by Taxom, a major petroleum company operating in the area and has installed a small contingent of security contractors from WhiteTree Support International; a U.S based Private Military Contractor with a lengthy portfolio of successful - albeit controversial - contracts in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and South-East Asia.
Welcome to San Marlín
San Marlín, a roughly hewn emerald island located in the crystal clear aquamarine waters of the Lesser Antilles islands. A mere stone’s throw from the coasts of northern Venezuela, the island was named by Spanish explorers after the abundance of the namesake sailfish teeming in the nearby waters. Like many islands of the Lesser Antilles and indeed the Caribbean on the whole, San Marlín enjoys a measure of sovereignty granted to it by it’s former Dutch overlords following their decolonisation efforts in the wake of World War 2. In centuries past, the island swapped ownership between the Dutch and Spanish many times and traces of both European cultures, as well as traditional Afro-Caribbean roots can be found to this day.
San Marlín is mainly known for three things. Cheap Holidays. Fishing and also the inexorable Petroleum industry. The rich reservoirs of natural fossil fuels contained deep below the glassy waters and on the coasts contain several dozen years worth of crude oil and so have been exploited by the powers that be for the benefit of the first world. The oil is processed on site and shipped to partners across the globe that include the U.S and the Netherlands to name two. Due to this, San Marlín could be considered one of the richest small Caribbean islands, with a strong tourism industry and secondary Aloe and Sugarcane export to pad out it’s coffers.
As with a lot of the world, the oil money rarely finds it’s way back to the people and the petroleum industry is barely tolerated, they are further vilified due to numerous oil spills and extensive pollution to the waters surrounding the area. Additionally, the island has been the centerpoint of increasing tensions with the Venezuelan government, officially it’s gripe is with fishing rights to the nearby waters though it’s obvious it’s part of a wider campaign to curb western influences in the region, with Venezuela becoming tighter partners with Russia, it’s obvious why.
The South American nation’s partnership with Russia is not just one of economic benefit, but of military also, with the supply of hundreds of small arms, vehicles and aircraft it has bolstered the nation’s strength several fold and brought about a new era in the country's fraught history. NATO and western powers have been unwilling to be drawn into lengthy political conflict over the region and have awarded nothing but inefficacious threats and hollow words.
San Marlín is officially a protectorate of the Dutch government and maintained a token force upon the island as part of an international peacekeeping force, though in recent years due to military budget cuts the base fell by the wayside and was then occupied by a newly formed San Marlín Defence Force, a light military utilising mainly old cold-war hand me downs that were thrust into the hands of untrained men and women. It’s barely enough to ward off pirates though maintains a semblance of peace among the discontented populace.
Due to the rising tempers in the region, as well as the obvious jingoistic military parades carried out by the Venezuelan military, a smaller installation has been bought out by Taxom, a major petroleum company operating in the area and has installed a small contingent of security contractors from WhiteTree Support International; a U.S based Private Military Contractor with a lengthy portfolio of successful - albeit controversial - contracts in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and South-East Asia.
