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Daigoro · 11-25-2016, 11:10 AM

I offer you a tourist destination and hotspot, combined!

Tourist Destination
Answer 34d)- Monsieur Max Rien's Meditative Retreat at Wat Mekh, Province of Vientiane
Formerly an officer of the French Légion Étrangère, Mssr Rien is the co-owner and operator of this monastic retreat in the north-western foothills of the Annamese Cordillera, about 150 miles from Vientiane city. The monastery, perched dramatically atop a volcanic spire [much like this one, but wider], caters to the well-off adult children of the British and Continental privileged classes who prefer to engage in more spiritual or artistic pursuits as part of their Eurasion Grand Tour. It is surrounded by dense jungle and rough highland terrain.

The entrepreneurial spiritualist noticed the abandoned monastery while on patrol serving in the then French protectorate of Vientiane Province. When the French withdrew, Rien, who if truth be known, was not exactly the stoutest of soldier material, retired from the Légion and made a partnership with his older cousin Lorraine, who herself had just returned from New Orleans with a small fortune from breeding cattle, and established the resort, converting the existing structures to more comfortable guest lodgings and adding modern amenities, such as a power plant and docking tower. They rely little on the local infrastructure for supplies, instead getting regular long-distance cargo deliveries from Hong Kong.

The Monsieur teaches his own brand of pseudo-Buddhist spiritualism featuring large amounts of meditation and self-exploration. Guests at the retreat are from a blend of nationalities, and are generally able to put aside any national rivalries, which helps maintain a peaceful and studious atmosphere.

Located as it is though, Wat Mekh is near the epicentre of a brewing mess of conflicts in the region. The local provincial forces are nominally pro-Japanese, not wishing to upset the regional masters, and are engaged with local resistance forces in a protracted guerrilla war. A Japanese zaibatsu is looking to establish a foothold to exploit the large tracts of highly-coveted East Indian rosewood growing in the ranges and will eventually decide that quelling citizen uprisings would be more profitable for their ledgerbooks. Meanwhile, to the north, a Zhuang warlord is sending troops toward the area in his own claim for territory.

Madame Lorraine, the more business-minded of the two, saw this conflict as an opportunity to appeal to a more voyeuristic breed of clientele, and started offering aerial tours over nearby battle sites. These war-tourists don't mind paying an extra penny and they come a long way for the pleasure of floating above an active combat zone, while sipping on vermouth, supping on canapés and observing the bloodshed below through powerful field glasses.

However, this tourist destination centred in a strife-torn hotspot has itself become a….

Hotspot
Answer 38d)- Wat Mekh Hostage Situation
Standing atop a 2000 foot high volcanic pillar, and only reachable from the ground by a long, precarious 800-step rock-hewn stairway, the owners of this monastic tourist retreat, the Cousins Rien, were confident that they could stay isolated from the strife and trouble in the surrounding area. However, the leader of the Emerald Cobra rebel guerrilla brigade, P-Lek, saw the resort as a plum prize ready for the taking, expecting the rich foreigners to at least fetch grand ransoms, but better still to be used for negotiating a list of demands from the provincial governor.

The guerrillas were able to scale the peak and dispatch the light security force without too much effort in one night. They now have some 80 guests and 30 staff held hostage, many of them offspring of some rather wealthy and influential personages, from a dozen European countries. The guerrilla commander has the peak surrounded with nine anti-airship cannon emplacements, forming a cone of fire above the peak that would be impossible to land in. In fact, the next supply drop is four days away, so the outside world has yet to be notified of the situation. When it does come to everyone's attention though, what will happen next?

11-25-2016, 11:10 AM	#108
Daigoro Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Meifumado	Re: [Game] Work Up a Steampunk Setting I offer you a tourist destination and hotspot, combined! Tourist Destination Answer 34d)- Monsieur Max Rien's Meditative Retreat at Wat Mekh, Province of Vientiane Formerly an officer of the French Légion Étrangère, Mssr Rien is the co-owner and operator of this monastic retreat in the north-western foothills of the Annamese Cordillera, about 150 miles from Vientiane city. The monastery, perched dramatically atop a volcanic spire [much like this one, but wider], caters to the well-off adult children of the British and Continental privileged classes who prefer to engage in more spiritual or artistic pursuits as part of their Eurasion Grand Tour. It is surrounded by dense jungle and rough highland terrain. The entrepreneurial spiritualist noticed the abandoned monastery while on patrol serving in the then French protectorate of Vientiane Province. When the French withdrew, Rien, who if truth be known, was not exactly the stoutest of soldier material, retired from the Légion and made a partnership with his older cousin Lorraine, who herself had just returned from New Orleans with a small fortune from breeding cattle, and established the resort, converting the existing structures to more comfortable guest lodgings and adding modern amenities, such as a power plant and docking tower. They rely little on the local infrastructure for supplies, instead getting regular long-distance cargo deliveries from Hong Kong. The Monsieur teaches his own brand of pseudo-Buddhist spiritualism featuring large amounts of meditation and self-exploration. Guests at the retreat are from a blend of nationalities, and are generally able to put aside any national rivalries, which helps maintain a peaceful and studious atmosphere. Located as it is though, Wat Mekh is near the epicentre of a brewing mess of conflicts in the region. The local provincial forces are nominally pro-Japanese, not wishing to upset the regional masters, and are engaged with local resistance forces in a protracted guerrilla war. A Japanese zaibatsu is looking to establish a foothold to exploit the large tracts of highly-coveted East Indian rosewood growing in the ranges and will eventually decide that quelling citizen uprisings would be more profitable for their ledgerbooks. Meanwhile, to the north, a Zhuang warlord is sending troops toward the area in his own claim for territory. Madame Lorraine, the more business-minded of the two, saw this conflict as an opportunity to appeal to a more voyeuristic breed of clientele, and started offering aerial tours over nearby battle sites. These war-tourists don't mind paying an extra penny and they come a long way for the pleasure of floating above an active combat zone, while sipping on vermouth, supping on canapés and observing the bloodshed below through powerful field glasses. However, this tourist destination centred in a strife-torn hotspot has itself become a…. Hotspot Answer 38d)- Wat Mekh Hostage Situation Standing atop a 2000 foot high volcanic pillar, and only reachable from the ground by a long, precarious 800-step rock-hewn stairway, the owners of this monastic tourist retreat, the Cousins Rien, were confident that they could stay isolated from the strife and trouble in the surrounding area. However, the leader of the Emerald Cobra rebel guerrilla brigade, P-Lek, saw the resort as a plum prize ready for the taking, expecting the rich foreigners to at least fetch grand ransoms, but better still to be used for negotiating a list of demands from the provincial governor. The guerrillas were able to scale the peak and dispatch the light security force without too much effort in one night. They now have some 80 guests and 30 staff held hostage, many of them offspring of some rather wealthy and influential personages, from a dozen European countries. The guerrilla commander has the peak surrounded with nine anti-airship cannon emplacements, forming a cone of fire above the peak that would be impossible to land in. In fact, the next supply drop is four days away, so the outside world has yet to be notified of the situation. When it does come to everyone's attention though, what will happen next? __________________ Collaborative Settings: Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!