LAMANG

BRIEF

› Name: Lamang
› Official Country Name: The Democratic Republic of Lamang
› Location: Somewhere in Southeast Asia
› Area: 430km²
› Population: 74,470
› President: Narith Sayavong
› Official languages: Lao and English
› Area of Operations: 42km²

OVERVIEW

A former British colony, Lamang was ravaged by a brutal civil war just two decades after gaining its independence when the remnants of the anti-British resistance (known as SOL - Sons of Lamang) were dissatisfied with the independent government‘s rule. Since the official army was understaffed, untrained, and equipped with outdated weapons and gear, it was swiftly defeated after only a couple of months of fighting. The SOL commander, Raksmei Sayavong, then declared himself the supreme leader of the island with the title of President.

Raksmei‘s victory was made possible thanks to the help of the Soviets, who supplied the SOL with weapons in exchange for strengthening their position during the Vietnam War. Building various military installations all over Lamang, a small contingent of Soviet troops remained on the island even after the end of the conflict and finally left after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Raksmei Sayavong died in 1996, with his only son, the 28-year-old Narith Sayavong, becoming the new leader of the island. Narith promised the people of Lamang that he would end his late father‘s isolationism policies and bring the island into the next millennium through modernization and openness. Claiming to focus on tourism, he ordered the construction of his crowning jewel - the Midnight Sapphire - a luxurious resort where, legend has it, all was allowed for the right price.

During the next three decades, those few who managed to escape the island told a vastly different story and pleaded with the rest of the world for help until, finally, the UN decided to act and established the UNLRA (United Nations Lamang Relief Agency) to provide at least a modicum of assistance to the oppressed people. With Narith‘s hesitant approval, UNLRA arrived in Lamang to assess the situation and begin its humanitarian mission.

Then, a few months later, a disaster struck. With a blinding flash and thunderous roar, a part of the island was forever transformed by a sudden cataclysmic Event.

UNCOVER THE SECRETS BEHIND THE EVENT

The official channels cryptically speak of an unspecified environmental disaster while a plethora of far-fetched theories and “uncovered truths” scour the World Wide Web and beyond. A volcano erupting, a chemical factory exploding, a nuke going off, a satellite crashing, secret experiments gone terribly wrong, a meteorite impact, or the always-popular aliens. It will be up to the players to find out for themselves.

What is certain is that all hell broke loose in Lamang after the event. Mass hysteria and panic ensued, and UNLRA mounted an evacuation mission to get as many people off the island as possible. All UNLRA personnel and a majority of the survivors left the island, and the entire area has been put under international quarantine, with all the UN members agreeing not to trespass.

Seeing that the island was practically abandoned, many organized crime groups, pirates, and other lowlifes gathered in Lamang to plunder what was left or even claim the island entirely, engaging in skirmishes with the Lamang Armed Forces, who were ordered to stay behind and guard high-value targets. The first PMC, hired by their powerful clients to explore the area, arrived shortly after, followed soon by two others. After establishing a foothold in the region, they all started advancing towards what was now known as Ground Zero.

A series of well-coordinated strikes, far too professional for the bandits roaming the island or even Lamang Armed Forces, was then launched against the PMCs, and they lost almost all their previously taken territory. Suffering heavy casualties and loss of equipment, the PMCs started recruiting new soldiers of fortune to help them retake the region, assume full control of Ground Zero, and complete any tasks from the myriad of clients with some stakes in the area. The player, a former member of Special Operation Forces, is one of these new recruits.