WELCOME TO DENVER, CHUMMERS!
Getting used to life in The City of Shadows hasn’t been an easy process. As if the interplay of factions in the Shadow community weren’t tricky enough, the addition of four different countries and a bloody great dragon have kept you on the edge of your seat. There’s also that matter of adjusting to the thin air up here. It’s made your unplanned transition a little rocky, but things are starting to settle down. You’ve secured a place, and you’ve sent out a few feelers concerning your “line of work.”

This afternoon, it looks like those feelers have started to pay off. A few minutes ago, you received a call from somebody who’s on the fast track to being your team's best buddy ever.

He called about a job. The meeting is at 4:30 at Denim, a nightclub in the PCC sector. There was an offhand mention that the Johnson was looking for “shiny new faces” who might act as neutral parties.

Watch your back, omae. Shoot straight. Conserve ammo. And never, ever, cut a deal with a dragon.

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Just in case

POLITICS
In 2018, the Treaty of Denver created the NAN and ended the war between the old USA and the Amerindian population. As one of the concessions of the war, it Denver was created as the Front Range Free Zone (FRFZ) -- a place where citizens of the Ute, Sioux, Aztlan, Pueblo Corporate Council, and United States of America could freely intermingle.

Citizens of the FRFZ were immune to taxation by any of these nations. Instead, they were governed by the Council of Denver. Each of the 5 signatory nations had the right to appoint one council member. That worked about as well as you might expect. The only thing the council could universally agree on was to impose huge taxes on the city’s inhabitants. (Flat 15% Income
Tax, 10% VAT) The Ute, Sioux, and PCC councillors quickly formed a voting bloc, which enabled them to control most decisions in the city.

Things continued to deteriorate until 2023 when the UCAS decided it’d had enough. They sketched out a “sector” of the city and built a wall around it. The other 4 signatories promptly took similar actions. In 2034, the CAS seceded from the UCAS. To accommodate this split, the UCAS Sector was split into two parts. The CAS was then given a voting spot on the Council. Because votes needed to be won by a simple majority, and there were now 6 council members, there was suddenly a large problem with tie votes.

In December of 2061, Ghostwalker (a dragon of some renown) came back to Denver. He claimed the city as his lair, annihilated the Aztlan Sector, and kicked the survivors out. This event, rather neatly, returned the council to an odd number
of voters, and resolved the problem of ties. However, Ghostwalker also announced that the council ruled only with his permission. He had the council create the Zone Defence Force (ZDF). The ZDF is a military group created out of an equal number of troops from each of the 5 (remaining) treaty nations. The ZDF answers directly to Ghostwalker and has authority in all sectors of Denver.

In 2067, the Ute nation was absorbed by the PCC. When this happened, the Ute lost their seat on the Council and that sector came under PCC rule. This left the Council of Denver Representatives at 4 members. All council meetings also include Ghostwalker’s representative, an Ork Shaman named Nicholas Whitebird.


CLIMATE
Denver has long been known as the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. But, the gorgeous views might not be the only thing taking your breath away, omae. First off, the fact that the city is 1.61 klicks above sea-level (that’s a mile for you old-schoolers), means that the air is a bit thin up here. Add in the fact that there’s been a vile cloud of brown pollution hovering over the city since the mid-twentieth century, and you’ll find that the locals have a special set of lungs.

While the area surrounding Denver is famous for its ski resorts, the city proper doesn’t get the weather that an outsider might expect. In late fall to early winter, it’s not uncommon for a seven foot snowfall to hit the Rockies, but see the Denver area unaffected. The coldest seasons stretch from November to February, with the occasional big snowstorm in March. Those late winter storms don’t always last very long. In March and April, a dry Chinook wind can sweep through Denver and melt through a foot of snow in just hours.

SECTORS
CAS Sector
The area that was once downtown Denver has become a series of closely guarded international borders. The downtown area still has its Millionaire’s row homes and an aura of gentility.. However, with the partitioning off of “The Hub,” many of these homes lost their convenient access to the business district. That was bad for realty, and bad for many of the small shops and restaurants in the area. This area now shows a stark contrast with squatters living in dilapidated buildings interspersed with elaborately fenced off mansions. It’s a booming area for security services.

South of downtown is the campus of the University of Denver and the neighbourhood of Englewood. This area has a distinct college town feel. There are dozens of small bars, eateries, used clothing shops, and even stores where you can find old paper books.

There’s a fair bit of drug trafficking through Englewood, and an awful lot of low-rent housing. Back in the ‘50’s, this was part of the Aztlan district. It’s still rumoured that refugees hide out in ancient tunnels under this district. Both Wuxing and Saeder-Krupp have established corporate offices atop the ruins of old Aztechnology buildings in this area.

Southeast of Englewood is the Chinatown district of Denver. This area is an eclectic mix of Western and Eastern architecture, philosophy, and language. While the area is popular with tourists during the daylight hours, neither Knight Errant nor wary natives venture in here after dark. The Triads control this area, and they have a strict policy about letting foreign devils into their territory.

Directly south of Chinatown is Greenwood Village. If you follow the trail of money through the CAS sector, most of it leads directly to Greenwood. The area is made up of sprawling homes on huge lots. If you’re looking for people from the gossip column of the FRFZ Voice, then this is the place to look.

Just west of Greenwood is Littleton. Littleton is primarily made up of gated corporate communities. Quality of housing is directly proportionate to placement within the corporate hierarchy. Here, good wage-slaves can raise their families under corporate protection, without fear of exposure to “the bad element.” Incidentally, the Yakuza make a killing on the narcotics business in this area.

To the southeast of Centennial airport, is Parker. Parker epitomizes middle class suburbia at its worst. This district is home to high quality education, low crime rates, and an inordinate number of Humanis Policlubbers [a group of humans prejudice against meta-humans... think KKK].


Pueblo Corporate Council Sector
Broomfield is primarily a residential community, but does maintain several corporate enclaves. Families here are firmly middle class, and the streets are generally quiet. The region is on the north-eastern border of the main Denver sprawl, and the mountains are clearly visible to the west. PuebSec maintains a firm grip on what little crime is found in this area.

South of Broomfield, Westminster is an upper-middle class region. A seemingly endless series of upscale, gated communities enclose fairly well secured housing. While the communities themselves are fairly safe, the streets are characterized by constant ganger activity. Most of the gangs are the poser children of corporate drones, but the Godz have been known to recruit here. Recruitment nights also tend to draw PuebSec attention.

Southeast of Westminster, Federal Heights looks down on downtown Denver, but up at the Rockies to the west. This scenic area has become dominated with upscale housing. Here, the well to do of the PCC sector endlessly compete to see who can build the most excessive home with the most beautiful view. PuebSec knows that the people signing their pay-checks make their homes in this area, and the security level is proportionate to that fact.

Across I-36, to the southwest of Federal Heights, are the Arvada Barrens. When the Anglos left, this region turned into a ghost town. Then things really went downhill. Dozens of painstakingly constructed planned communities have been overrun by gangers and squatters. The once beautiful, landscaping has been long since destroyed by violence and debris. The area is crowded with the descendants of those who stubbornly refused to leave and with those who found their way here through ill fortune.

Golden, to the southwest of Arvada, is most famous as the home of Coors brewery. The brewery remains the largest employer in this area, and with their continued economic success, the area has become both a corporate enclave and an Anglo holdout. Because of the high Anglo population, PuebSec maintains only a minimal security rating for the area. In response to this, all of the corporations and many of the neighbourhoods have contracted with other firms for additional security. ‘Runs that venture into Golden can be a real mixed bag.

Wheat Ridge and Edgewater are both lower middle class suburban districts south of Arvada. They are primarily residential areas, but there are a few corporate facilities spread throughout. The busiest spot in the area is probably the casino at Lakeside Amusement Park. PuebSec keeps these sleepy neighbourhoods pretty safe, but it’s not uncommon for go-gangs from Arvada to head into them and shake things up.

Further south, Lakewood is a thoroughly industrialized urban region packed with low income housing. Most of the predominantly ork and dwarf population work in this regions factories, and live in its homes. Lakewood is also home to the Lakewood Correctional Institute. “The Can” is the largest and highest security prison in the PCC. The Koshari maintain a very steady income through chip and narcotic sales in Lakewood.

South of Lakewood is the much more prestigious region of Littleton. The corporate up and comers who can’t quite afford housing in Federal Heights often live here. Sprawling ranches and getaway resorts are interspersed with the high priced housing. PuebSec works hard to keep the lower class residents of Lakewood from venturing in to disturb the peaceful residents here.


Sioux Sector
Northglenn and Thornton are virtually indistinguishable neighbourhoods. Both are filled with planned communities of pre-fabricated homes packed on to postage stamp sized lots. Admittedly, their well-patrolled streets are nicely interspersed with parks, golf courses, public schools, and conveniently located shopping. They also bear all the trademarks of eco-friendly planning and construction. But the bottom line is that they feel far more western than any NAN neighbourhood should. Most of the people living here make daily commutes into the Sioux portion of “The Hub” to their jobs.

In sharp contrast, to the casual atmosphere of the northern neighbourhoods, Commerce City is interspersed with both heavy industry and tightly packed, low-cost housing. Even Lucinda Gray Arrow has publicly condemned the industrial facilities located here for their clearly unacceptable levels of pollution. But, somehow, it just seems to continue. Perhaps this is because odd prevailing winds always seem to carry the airborne contaminants directly into the UCAS sector. Eagle Security Services works in concert with the corporate security manning the many manufacturing facilities here to keep the area reasonable safe. At the same time, with a high population of working-class poor, the average response time to a police emergency call is regarded as unacceptable.


UCAS Sector
Just south of the Rocky Mountain National Reserve, Montbello is a quiet region that is nearly an extension of the park. Here, carefully planned homes interface with the natural wildlife in a manner unlike any other UCAS town. Of course, the downside of this is that once or twice a year, one of these rich slots makes the news when he and his car are eaten by a piasma. Most of the residents here either work in The Hub, or in the few corporate facilities of Gateway.

To the west of Montbello are the corporate enclaves of Gateway. Many UCAS citizens who work in the hub, make their daily commute from this neighborhood. Most choose to take the corporate shuttles, specifically designed to make the four border crossings as painless as possible. Housing in this area is almost exclusively in well-planned and well-patrolled neighbourhoods. There are a few corporate offices in this area, but most are set up as convenience branches of larger facilities downtown.

The Aurora Warrens have been slated for demolition since the Treaty was first signed. Somehow, though, the demolition always seems to get pushed back another six months. Meanwhile, tribes of urban squatters continue to make their homes in the decrepit high rises that pack the area. Lone Star never patrols here. Instead, go-gangs and syndicates rule the streets. Power and running water are rare luxuries. With the exception of the rare temporary network, it’s all one big wireless dead zone.

ORGANIZED CRIME
A near endless series of international borders, and a close proximity to the t-bird smuggling routes of the Rockies, has turned Denver into a land of endless criminal opportunity. Of course, that sort of opportunity breeds greed. Greed breeds competition. When dealing with the criminal underworld, that sort of competition can reach new heights (and depths). ‘Runners who need to work in this environment do better if they know both the players and the scores.

The DFW-based Chavez and the Denver-based Casquilho mafia families have their strongest foothold in the CAS and UCAS sectors. In UCAS sector, the Casquilho run a series of gambling dens and brothels throughout the Aurora Warrens. In PCC sector, the Chavez family operates a massive casino at Lakeside Amusement Park. Both families have several brothels located throughout the CAS sector. While the Casquilho once ran an extensive CalHot smuggling racket out of their Casquilho Imports front, that location seems to have gone legit. It currently specializes in ancient artifacts of questionable magical power.

Oyabun Kasigi Toda holds the reins of the Yamato Yakuza clan. While his empire was once based on information brokerage, an awkward encounter with the Denver Data Haven abruptly terminated that practice. Now, they control the FRFZ narcotics and BTL trade and compete with the mafia for the UCAS and CAS prostitution business. Over the past few years, the Yamato have been direct competition with shadowrunners for sabotage and assassination assignments. The oyabun also maintains a personal vendetta against the White Lotus triad.

As the most magically active of Denver’s criminal groups, the White Lotus and Golden Triangle Triads operate almost exclusively out of the Chinatown district in the CAS. From there, they compete with the Yakuza for the BTL trade, and branch out into procuring illegal cyberware and other electronics. Persistent rumours suggest that the Triads have tight ties to the Wuxing enclave in CAS. The recent increase in low grade Wuxing cyberware on the streets of Chinatown seem to support these rumors.

The Koshari sect of the Kachina society are, appropriately, at their most powerful in the PCC. They maintain near exclusive control in smuggling CalHots into the UCAS and CAS. While these chips are perfectly legal in their home nation, they’re decidedly illegal in those destination countries. Unlike their competition, the Koshari seem comfortable playing the waiting game. They also seem to have the tightest ties to the government of their home sector.

THE AWAKENED
When discussing Denver’s awakened (magic-using) culture, you pretty much have to start with Ghostwalker. There’s something about a massive ivory Great Western Dragon that brings him to the top of the list. The facts that he runs the city and has a church dedicated to his worship are also more than just minor footnotes.

Ghostwalker’s presence seems to have had effects that extend beyond his mundane rule of the city. During his time in Denver, the spiritual activity in the area has skyrocketed. Free spirits of virtually all known types have been identified in the area.
Ghostwalker hasn’t offered any explanation, but most speculators see this as a chicken-egg effect. Everyone wonders - are the spirits so active because Ghostwalker is here, or is Ghostwalker here because of the heightened spiritual activity?

While this heightened astral activity may also have had a spillover effect, recent census figures have shown a disproportionately high percentage of awakened among Denver’s youth. As a consequence, Denver’s schools have been actively recruiting thaumaturgical educators. This has created a trickle down effect, to the point that it seems that there’s a new talismonger shop opening every month.

LOCAL HOT SPOTS
The Hardpan
By the time the sun sets, the Hardpan is in full swing. Outside the beat of heavy bass reverberates through the ground beneath your feet. Most of the cars in the parking lot are four by four jeeps which have obviously seen a lot of use on back hill roads common in the outer extremities of the Sioux sector where the border patrol is thinner. Looking into the wind, you see the Riverside Cemetery’s wellkept lawns and silently thank any greater power you believe in that you are upwind from the sewage treatment plant. One odd thing you do notice is, despite the obvious popularity of the bar, there is no bouncer.

Entering the bar, the reason for the lack of bouncer becomes quite apparent. With the exception of your team, every single person in the bar is a Sioux Amerindian. Wildcats rub elbows with faces and reputations that you’ve heard whispered through the shadows. The bartender is an imposing woman who looks like she has probably seen it all and bought the t-shirt. Her cyber-eyes focus tightly on all the non-Sioux in your team, even as her lip takes on a heavy curl of discontent. Behind the bar, a large “No Smoking” sign hangs clearly.

Rachel Sands, Hardpan’s owner, does a solid, regular trade despite the rundown neighbourhood. Seated between the Riverside
Cemetery, a sewage treatment plant, and the algae tanks, it’s a Locals-Only watering hole for the most part. Sandy, as her friends and colleagues call her, has obvious cyber-eyes and occasionally works as a fixer. For that reason the Hardpan is a common hangout for many of the Sioux Sector’s Amerindian runners. The bar is particularly popular with Sioux warriors.


The Splatter Bar
It’s been said that the Splatter Bar is a nice place for appetizers and entertainment. What’s less known is that security at the door hands you a firearm when entering. Rumours might also fail to mention that you should duck as that virtual devil rat isn’t a friendly hostess.

On the corner of 20th street and Arapahoe, across from the greyhound terminal, the Splatter Bar is part of a small chain of bars throughout CAS and UCAS. The Bar is 3 stories of grey concrete with tall narrow windows on the outside. Inside are multiple levels of balconies and catwalks with coloured lights and steaming pipes for that faux urban jungle feel.

The original Splatter Bar offered paint ball rounds with games of “Shoot the DJ” and had sprinklers to hose down the patrons, but times change. The new Splatter bar hosts a node with a full spectrum augmented environment and offers modified firearms with the cover charge. The Dance floor is more of a gauntlet to the bar or restrooms as virtual beasties roam the joint. The price of drinks and fillers varies based on your gunplay. Having a buddy to hold your booth is helpful as you have to pick-up your order from the bar below. “Dead men walking” pay up to twice the usual price.

The owner — Alex, a.k.a. Jitters — has kept the Splatter Bar chain going for more than 10 years. Semi-retired from a career in the shadows, he has never had to pay more than half price at his Bar and he doesn’t have to cheat (or so the rumour goes...) .


Little D’s Gourmet Emporium
Needing a little grocery shopping to cook (or at least have your appliances cook) for that special someone, you drive to the Gourmet Emporium for some last minute foodstuffs. Inside you find a bonanza of soy processing units: Genetically modified, Unmodified, Imitation, and unique treats.

You spot your favourite, the Three ‘Runner chokolate bar: The SIN-fully delicious chokolate energy bars shaped like credsticks (Packs of 3). Inside each pack are Ebony (30% Real Chocolate mixed with Rich dark Chokolate), Platinum (Chokolate with powered sugar coating) and Gold (Layered with caramel).

Little D’s Gourmet Emporium is located on E. Ellesworth Ave off of N Potomac St. They carry an extensive line of Soy Processing units and general foodstuffs. Because of their extensive network of legitimate shipping sites, they have been known to bring in the occasional eccentric item for clients. The shop has worked hard to maintain neutrality with the Mafia, Triad, and Yakuza through diplomacy and delicacies. The Koshari have not been as understanding, and Little D’s has been known to hire from the shadows to protect their assets.


Marcel’s
It’s late and you need something to eat now. Deciding against the stuffer-shack, you head on down to Marcel’s. There’s no doorman and the woman behind the counter finishes showing off her new tattoo that seems to crawl of its own volition up and down her spine, before seating you. Groups of sararimen in the corner, their food untouched, have done everything but pull out a camera and start taking pictures as mod-boys and chrome girls move about their business, tails swishing between the tables.

Locals come here because it’s open late. The food’s not gourmet and the prices are high enough to make you think about it, but there’s always eye-candy. That is, if you like your candy perforated by piercings, covered in tattoos, or touched by the unknowing grace of a Comet. For you, it’s all about the troll-sized portions and the spicy fries.

Espousing “All the Street You can Eat,” the restaurant gets by a lot on the shock value of their wait staff who are all heavily tattooed and pierced or have undergone body mod surgery. Changelings who underwent serious changes are also hired. The food is decent but higher priced than most diners. Primarily the patrons are corporate wage-slaves who want to add a little spice to their life by “slumming” it and teenagers who desperately strive for whichever type of youthful rebellion will upset their parents the most.

All of the wait staff will gladly recommend their favourite body artists and give guests business cards to some of the best tattoo and piercing parlours in town. What most patrons don’t realize is that Marcel’s is run by the Casquilho Family of the Mafia as a money-laundering scheme and front for many of their soldiers to blend in.


Happy Canyon Shopping Center
Driving through Chinatown, you pull into, at first glance, a shopping center, to find a stuffer shack. Stepping out of the car, you find yourself not only back in time but also in the wrong country. It’s like someone took a piece of China and plopped it in Cherry Hills.

Happy Canyon Shopping Center was transformed from the standard mall strip, to a small Chinese city with buildings having the traditional four-sloped, double-caved, glazed roofs, all-around verandas and coloured and carved dougong brackets supporting the overhanging eaves. Nine stores operate in the Center. These include a laundry, a grocery, a clothing store, an office rental space, a health store, two restaurants (Golden Dawn, and Lotus Pond), an electronics store, and the postal annex.

A miniature wall and nine, 2m faux guard towers border the center along Happy Canyon Road. An addition to this shopping center is a five-story temple for various celebrations in the Chinese community. Five wooden pavilions located in the parking area are used for various functions from street market vendors, to weddings, to just getting out of the heat of the day.

It’s all nice and innocent for the tourist, but underneath the veneer, the Golden Triangle Triad has been pushing non-Chinese out of the area, allowing for others to start their businesses. The Golden Triangle operates the electronics store as a front in the sale of illegal chips as well as awarding loyal families, opportunities in the Center.

The White Lotus Triad has been impartial to Golden Triangle’s work at the Center since an agreement to allow White Lotus use of the Temple.


Rocky Mountain Dynamics
Rocky Mountain Dynamics (RMD) has a small manufacturing plant located in the PCC sector. Their facility is a prime example of one of the smaller shops that supplies components systems for other corporations throughout the region. Their contracts include dealings with corps in all 4 of the Denver sectors and beyond. Most of the employees live near the plant, in corporate sponsored housing.

RMD is a small corporation. In fact, it’s not capable of qualifying for extraterritoriality. However, their international contracts require that they have regular dealings with many of the larger firms. As with many such companies, rumours circulate about how RMD has avoided a takeover action. Some suggest they have government support. Others mention ties to organized crime. There’s even been word that they’re actually already owned by one of the big ten, through a series of shell corporations.


The Meat Market
The rundown husk of the old Aurora Mall stands in the northwest corner of the Warrens. Most of the companies pulled out as soon as the area started to take a dive. Soon after that, the property management group tanked as well. It stood abandoned for almost a week before some of us started moving in. We slept in stores that used to sell commlinks and clothing. It was better than some of the high rises where you have to climb fifty sets of stairs to bed down. Then they came. Moving in the night, able to see in the darkness the way I would in the noon-time sun. Only a handful of us escaped cleanly - others were killed for fear of what they might become.

Shove off mate, no one believes those ghost stories any more…
The Aurora Mall was hit hard by the decline on the Aurora area. When the property management company filed for bankruptcy, all the stores fled and the doors were boarded over. Now the mall is home to Denver’s ghoul community. The ghouls have a symbiotic relationship with the squatters outside, by providing protection against some of the gangs that roll through the area and disposing of bodies that no one wants to think about. More than one Humanis member has met their end in the belly of a ghoul.

They also patrol their own, keeping most of the ravenous mindless hunters off the street. The feral ones are kept in the underground parking garage, where they feed off each other. Stories are whispered about the possibility that the leader of the pack will one day let his people swarm across the Warrens in a vast hunt for flesh, but it has not happened…yet.

More to come