ShadowrunHistory

**"** I have taken all knowledge to be my province .**"** **--Sir Francis Bacon**

**"** Edge ? It ' s ... it ' s guts ! To go beyond the distance ! The Greeks said : ' Virtue is hitting the mark .' ... Edge is Virtue .**"** **--Fox, New Rose Hotel**

**"** Watch your back . Shoot straight . Conserve ammo . And never, ever , cut a deal with a dragon .**"** **--Street prove****rb**



THE STORY SO FAR . ..
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= > > > [ The World of Shadowrun ] < < < = The world has changed, most say Awakened... Hot on the heels of the Corporate Wars of the early 21st Century, terrorist acts committed by a radical group of Native Americans put the entire world on the brink of nuclear war. The fallout from these incidents brought about the ‘Re-Education and Relocation Act’ of 2009, interning thousands of innocent American-Indian people to isolated concentration camps. Then came VITAS – the new black plague. The epidemic began in 2010, and by the end of that year had claimed over a quarter of the global populace. Despite the horrific nature of the outbreak, what came next was even more unsettling… The eyes of the world were awakened to the emergence of magic at the end of 2011. The twilight of that year saw the first elvish and dwarven children delivered to shocked parents; while over Mount Fuji, modern mankind got its first glimpse of a newly-emerged dragon! Between 2012 and 2016, the world saw the births of the 'California Free State' after a successful secession; the elven nation of the 'Tir Tairngire'; the formation of the 'Caribbean League' in the Bahamas; and Mexico's transformation into the corporate territory of 'Aztlan' – just to name a few... In 2017, an Amerindian militia led by Daniel ‘Howling Coyote’ enacted an ancient magical ritual known as the "Great Ghost Dance" upon a shocked populace – bringing the forces of Mother Nature to bear against the unstable United States of America. The world superpower eventually fell against the might of the Earth itself -- and by 2018 the 'Treaty of Denver' was enacted and the 'Native American Nations' were formed over a quarter of what was formerly North America. Over 1/2 of the continent formerly belonging to the US and Canada was handed over to the NAN -- which includes the Salish-Shidhe, Pueblo Council Lands, and the Ute and Sioux Nations -- among others. Another portion also went to Quebec, which managed to finally gain its sovereignty amidst the confusion... Over a decade following the Unexplained Genetic Expressions (UGE) which produced the first elf & dwarf metahuman babies came April 30, 2021; when exactly 1 out of every 10 people worldwide underwent a sudden and violent goblinization – twisting their bodies into the classic literary visions of orks and trolls! With the creation of an undergraduate program at UCLA, the study of mana and the astral plane gained official academic recognition by 2025. Within two years following this development, MIT had become MIT&M -- appending its historical title with ‘...and Magic’. In the 'Crash of 2029', an artificial viral intelligence reaped havoc on the electronic information grid, eventually bringing down the entire Matrix. The crash, on top of a recent series of social and political upheavals, spelled the end for the USA. With surprising speed, the country merged with the remains of Canada to form the UCAS – the United Canadian & American States. To top it off, the South rose again as the CAS – the Confederated American States -- seceding from the Union and finally gaining its independence. The year 2030 marked the beginning of the Euro Wars as Russia began to invade nearby countries in a grab for new territory. By 2031, the Matrix 2.0 was back online, the last remnants of the insufferable super-virus erased from existence. During the years that followed, the lines between man and machine began to blur as cybernetic implants -- originally conceived to provide crippled veterans with renewed mobility -- became more commonplace and streamlined. The implantation of cyberware eventually became a desirable form of body modification in many circles, and money-hungry corporations were more than happy to provide an eager public with what it desired. The latest cybertechnology from Chiba City became a most sought-after commodity, with cyber boutiques catering to the rich and affluent popping up across the globe. The streets saw the emergence of corner-store Cyber Clinics; and cheap medical supply depots -- not to mention illegal Street Docs operating out of messy black market Chop Shops. By 2034, the human brain had become the new digital frontier... With frighteningly-high levels of adaption, people began to jack their wetware directly into the simulated reality network of the Matrix. Cyberdecks began to catch on with amazing speed, and gave birth to the first 'deckers' – cyberjockeys who would risk frying their brainpans for a chance at the big monies – forever in search of the latest paydata to swipe from under the noses of greedy megacorporations. 'New Terrorism' began in 2036 with the firebombing of a rural church in Ohio, which claimed almost two dozen lives -- most of which were metahuman. A group calling itself "Alamos 20,000" claimed full responsibility, and continues to carry out extremist acts of anti-metahuman violence to this day.



= > > > [ The Night of Rage ] < < < = As set forth in the 'Treaty of Denver', the city of Seattle was given the status of 'City-State' -- designating it as the UCAS’s only presence in the entirety of the NAN. Nestled deep within the Salish-Shidhe, shoring its major inland waterway, and protected by the Metroplex Guard -- Seattle is a desolate urban oasis surrounded and isolated from the rest of the world by unforgiving natural terrain. On February 7, 2039, Governor Vic Allenson – a suspected Hand of Five party member -- ordered that all metahumans in the Seattle Sprawl be rounded up and deported to San Francisco under the guise of a plan to, "improve racial harmony". Lone Star and the Seattle Metroplex Guard gathered up and deposited every ork, elf, dwarf, and troll that it could find in a series of waterfront warehouses. The setting sun saw the beginning of what would become known the world over as the 'Night of Rage'. Gunshots, screams, and a flash fire sparked the incident – panic and mayhem saw it through to its end... As flames spread quickly between the tightly-packed wooden warehouses, their metahuman occupants attempted to flee the blaze -- only to be met with bullets as the soldiers opened fire on the unarmed civilians in an attempt to contain the hysteric masses. Old sewer systems were discovered inside the warehouses and used as a means of escape, but hundreds perished in the ensuing slaughter – and even more met their end in the city-wide rioting that it sparked. Over the next four days, anti-metahuman violence and insurgencies erupted throughout the world. Governor Allenson was questioned by Federal authorities, but claimed no responsibility of wrongdoing. He was discovered murdered in his office hours after. A special election was held to determine Seattle’s new political leader, and the vote went to Bellevue mayor Marie Schultz by a large margin. She publicly vowed to never allow such an atrocity to happen again in her city.



= > > > [ Seattle 2041 ] < < < = The Night of Rage is still fresh in the memory of the people, with the physical and psychological wounds caused by those brutal acts running deep in the hearts and minds of the populace. The new City-State of Seattle -- completely isolated from the UCAS while serving as its only port of trade -- is a hotbed of activity for the criminal underworld; its black market considered one of the strongest in the world. The constituency of Puyallup is a gang-controlled DMZ with military checkpoints spread throughout, consuming much of Seattle's southern sector and keeping Fort Lewis in a stranglehold – with the Plex guard at a stalemate with the gangers under the constant danger of guerrilla warfare. The UCAS military is able to maintain only a single isolated route of on-land access to their base -- having put the backs of its forces to the sea and secured an Operating Post along the Tacoma waterfront. Seattle’s mostly-protected citizenry, eager to take its mind off the turmoil of the Sixth World, has started to treat the frequent in-fighting between the metroplex's many gangs as sport. Pirate trideo broadcasts bring live updates of the altercations -- and have created complex scorecard and ranking systems – an alarming trend which smaller district news agencies have begun to pick up on; treating the urban warfare as a venue to garner higher ratings. Even the 'Seattle News Network', which broadcasts worldwide, has taken to keeping a kill count... The Redmond Barrens, under a constant state of reconstruction and urban revitalization after the disastrous events of the Great Ghost Dance, remains -- for the most part -- a lawless wasteland in its furthermost areas. The Halloweeners -- one of metroplex’s largest, most influential, and feared gangs -- lays claim to the majority of this area. It has been nicknamed ‘The Wastes’ by the citizens of Seattle. Corporations constantly battle one another -- sometimes covertly, in an often-violent race for territory -- with Renraku in the lead by a long shot; it's massive pyramidal Arcology already 1/3rd of the way constructed and operational. Aztechnology is currently holding "second place" in the conflicts, with a sizable pyramid of its own already established Downtown. DocWagon Services, offering armed emergency response contracts to its clientele in the UCAS, immediately recognized the opportunity for profit in the excessively violent City-State. The corporation remains; however, uncertain as to the level of risk it will take in the endeavor – and currently supplements many of its contracts to freelance operatives in the area... The Matrix is well on its way to being reintegrated into almost every facet of modern life; and as of 2039, cyberdecks have entered into their sixth generation – becoming man-portable units which fit into any large backpack or medium-sized duffle bag. The required peripherals are usually carried separately in a purse or satchel. Cyberware, though prominent on the streets and in high demand by everyone from alleyway urchins to corporate executives, is in its infancy – creating a rich new shadow market to add to the already-lucrative practices of organ trafficking and street medicine. Welcome to Seattle, chummer.



= > > > [ And So It Came to Pass... ] < < < = In August of 2057 Dunkelzahn the dragon assumed the office of the UCAS Presidency and was assassinated that same night.in his limousine outside the Watergate Hotel. The consequences of the dragon's death had a noticeably weak public outcome -- the reading of his will and dividing of his estate being handled quietly, behind closed doors. And in recent years, the UCAS government has made several attempts to free Chicago from the bug spirit infestation which has plagued the Windy City Metroplex for nearly a decade. Their biggest operation was launched in 2061, with a joint task force -- headed by Colonel Marco Hawkes -- of UCAS Marine Infantry and Ares Corporate Mercenaries. The mission, though a valiant effort and the most successful to date, was a failure. When the final tallies were released, the special operations force had taken a casualty ratio of 63%. The balance of power among the megacorporations took a heavy blow when Richard Villiers resigned from Fuchi to form his own corporation -- Novatech Industries. Many thought it spelled the end for Fuchi, but the veteran megacorp managed to stay standing -- for now -- on just two legs. Wuxing International arose during the turmoil; receiving funding from the Dunkelzahn Estate (the only publicly-known transaction of its kind) and rocketing into power -- gaining a strong foothold amongst its more established competition. On June 3, 2062 the Renraku Arcology mysteriously shut down, trapping countless employees within its smooth, mirrored walls -- most never to be seen or heard from again. No one knows what went on inside of the pyramid -- and Renraku isn't talking -- but on February 12, 2063 the Arcology re-opened its doors and resumed business as usual. Meanwhile, the Aztechnology has recently been indicted by the United Nations for practicing the illegal art of blood magic in large-scale ritual conjurings... So the "Big Eight" has become the "Big Ten"; Dunkelzahn's dead; "Bug City" remains uninhabitable despite the UCAS's best efforts; occult encounters and abductions are steadily on the rise; the City-State of Seattle -- ever the center of intercorporate and political action and intrigue -- is gearing up for its next Gubernatorial race; and the much-debated passing of Halle's Comet came and went without the much-anticipated chaos...

By 2064 do you know where your runners are?



= > > > [ The Sixth World Shuffle ] < < < = In the Awakened and Wireless World of the 2070's, Magic and Technology meet in the shadows of the neon-lit Mean Streets beneath the oppressive Big 10 Megacorporations. Elves, Orks, Dwarves, and Trolls now walk freely amongst Human men and women in this new Sixth World, as Dragons and VTOL's dot the skies above the Urban Sprawl.

Shadowrunners do the dirty business no one else will handle.

Street Samurai -- whose bodies are augmented to superhuman capacity by cyberware -- run cover & infiltration ops with the help of magically-enhanced Adepts; while Deckers manipulate the virtual reality of the Matrix that overlays our own geography. Magicians cast powerful spells and manipulate spirits called forth from the astral plane; as Riggers blur the line between man-and-machine, essentially becoming the drones and vehicles that they pilot. It is rumored that others are emerging as well; persons with extraordinary abilities -- some able to manipulate the digital realm without the use of computers at all -- along with those seemingly born of the beasts of myth and legend itself. Joyboys, Jigglegirls, and Pushers turn tricks and peddle designer drugs on every street corner; where at their feet in the gutters waste BTL-addicted chipjunkies -- minds trapped in synthetic fantasy. Organ-legging Ghouls prey on the weak and naive, collecting once-private parts for personal use or profit. Vampiric creatures lurk in the darkened back alleys of urban blight, fangs gnashing for their next meal. Nomadic roving bands of Go-Gangers wage bloody battles for turf or reputation as the Lone Star Security Corporation -- who hold the CityState's policing contract -- strive to keep the registered population of Seattle's SIN//ners// safe...

**This is Shadowrun...**

**Do you have what it takes to keep the Edge?**


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