>>>>> Insert Sidebar ADDING MORE CACHES

If GMs want to add more caches, the hunt can be extended past the four presented in Harlequins Gambit and extended to include a wide variety of other locations. In doing this, we recommend that the opening and closing chapters (XX and XX) remain as the start and finish. Caches can be added before, between, or after the journeys to Cape Town and London. Some suggested locations for caches are: Denverwithin Ghostwalkers possession or his lair Czech RepublicPrague at Charles University or beneath the Kutna Hora Ossuary Shaanxithe Tomb of Shih Huang Ti

>>>>> End Sidebar

>>>>> Insert Sidebar VIGILIA EVANGELICA

Publicly known as the keepers of the Vaticans Matrix network, the Vigilias true agenda is kept secret even from the highest ranks of the Vatican. They are an extremely secretive order of priests tasked to guard the accumulated knowledgesome of it so forbidden and dangerous even the Pope does not know its existenceand artifacts of the Church. The Vigilia does not advertise its existence, and even in the shadow world there are few rumors about it. The Vigilia has four vaults, each of them kept a well guarded secret: two in Europe, and two in the New World.

>>>>> End Sidebar >>>>> Insert Sidebar APEP CONSORTIUM

The latest major entrant into the arcanoarchaeology field, the Apep Consortium is a collection of interests that finances large-scale dig sites. Most of the investors are not interested in history and little is known about the actual agenda of this group. It is clear that they pilfer more than preserve history. The Apep Consortium was involved in the events of Dusk and Midnight. Their representative Georgiy Abelev wants to get his hands on the artifacts that the runners helped Frosty find. Based on previous interactions, he may not be happy to see the runner team.

>>>>> End Sidebar >>>>> Insert Sidebar HEAVEN HERD

A secret organization within the Zulu Nation, the Heaven Herd claims to be descended from an ancient line of magicusers. Though the majority of their influence is in the Zulu nation, a small cabal stays in Cape Town to monitor Mujaji and the administrative branch of the Azania government. Every Heaven Herder is an awakened elf. Nearly all of them are initiates and they have access to certain techniques which are unknown to the Sixth World at large. The Heaven Herd is led by an Immortal Elf known only as Usmondo, the Watcher.

>>>>> End Sidebar >>>>> Insert Sidebar MUJAJI

Nesting in the Table Mountain in Azania, Mujaji holds the title of the "Rain Queen". The Great Dragon is a winged serpent who maintains a pride of lion shapeshifters. Mujaji has a very green agenda and actively protects the lands of Southern Africa from the corps and tries to keep some form of peace in the chaotic sprawl of Cape Town. She distrusts the elven Zulu Nation, though there has not yet been a direct conflict between them.

>>>>> End Sidebar

FALLING FROM 50,000 FEET

SCAN THIS
The runners first get to Cape Town and begin to look around for clues. They also learn the city is at once, highly modernized and traditional. During the first few hours in Cape Town, Frosty separates herself from the runners and is kidnapped. She encourages them to find the cache and deliver it to Ehran before trying to rescue her.

TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT

As you drop out of the sky, the view from the windows is just open sea. Rigger X straightens out and you see a large aircraft carrier sitting high in the water. Ears pop as the plane drops rapidly, the carrier growing closer far too fast. You are thrown forward into your seat belt as the tailhook grabs purchase and your plane stops in half the normal distance. Your pilots voice crackles over the intercom, welcome to Cape Town, now get out. With the last words still echoing, Rigger X steps out of the cockpit and gestures for you to follow him. He walks across the deck and shakes hands firmly with an ork wearing oil stained coveralls. The ork introduces himself as Cass and asks if you will be staying long. When the runners head to shore The trip to shore takes almost an hour. In the beginning, the water is smooth and the boat cuts across is easily. As you approach Cape Town, the ride is rougher, bouncing across wakes of massive ships and trawlers. Cass takes a path that cuts wide around the port, giving you a view of the skyline and Table Mountain in the distance behind the city. The jungle covered mesa overshadows the city casting technology into a secondary role to the primal forces. Entering the bay, the closeness of skyscrapers slowly allows the city to retake the skyline and you enter a small marina. All of the ships in the area you pull into have corporate logos, and except for the temperature, you could almost believe that you are back in Seattle for a few momentsthe ubiquitous nature of technology blurring across all aspect of society. After Frosty was supposed to be back Looking at the time, you realize that Frosty said shed be back by now. Shes almost an hour overdue when a shiver runs up your spine and a ghostly image of her manifests near you. Ok folks, some Roman problems came up. Im going to do my best to deal with them, but get the cache. Take it back to the old man and make sure its safe before coming to rescue me. She grips her stomach and grimaces in pain. Looking up at your group with pain in her eyes, she mutters the cache first. Ill survive long enough.

BEHIND THE SCENES

While the runners go ashore and investigate Cape Town to find the cache, Rigger X will keep the plane on the carrier with a group of pirates and smugglers. The pirates will ferry the runners to the coast in speed boats when they are ready. Quarters can be rented on board the carrier for fifty nuyen per hour. The rate includes a bed with clean sheets, running water and a matrix connection. Some runners may want to take this time while they are closer to Cape Town to do searches for information, consult the map for more details, or arrange for tourist visas. Cape Town is an open port but the Azania Alliance loves paperwork. It requires forms and fees to be paid for access. Without the necessary paperwork permits and entry markings tagged to their SIN, the runners will be harassed by local law enforcement and not be able to make legal purchases. Individuals traveling to the area can pay 250 nuyen for expedited service of visa paperwork, otherwise the process takes about two weeks. During the paperwork process, the runners SINs will be subject to a Rating 4 verification system. (Fake SIN Rating + Rating (3) Test) Anyone with a Criminal SIN or not wishing to go through legitimate channels can bribe an official for documents. Bribery costs 1,000 nuyen per person, this can be reduced by 100 nuyen per net hit on a Negotiation + Charisma (3) test, to a minimum of 500 nuyen. If the runners use the Rating 6 Fake SINs provided to them through Frostys contacts, the paperwork will already be dealt with. One of the first challenges that the characters will face is linguistic. The Azania Alliance recognizes thirteen languages in their constitution, and regional dialects abound. All merchants and taxi drivers will speak at least two of the languages to some extent, or have a chip. The signs for their shops will be written in the languages they speak, and the expectation is that if you cant read the sign, dont try to do business with them. The recognized languages are: Afrikaans, Bantu, English, German, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga Characters who want to put feelers out for shadow connections in Cape Town can begin legwork and may follow leads recommended by Traveler Jones (Players Handout-Cape Town). The locations he mentioned are all readily available and can be found through a Data Search + Browse (2, 1 min) or speaking to the concierge. An Etiquette + Charisma (8, 10 min) Test made talking to the concierge, cabbies, or members of the shadow community, or a Data Search + Browse (16, 1 min) Test, will turn up contact information for Tina Vicencio. (p. XX, Cast of Shadows) During this scene, Frosty is contacted by an acquaintance who knows that she is in Cape Town. He talks to her in rapid paced Italian and it is unclear if he is stalling her to allow people to get in place, or warning her about trouble on the horizon. She does not want the runners to become entangled in the matter, preferring that they focus on the cache, and arranges to go shopping on her own for a few hours. During this time, she is approached by three priests from the Vigilia Evangelica. They want the Sextant of Worlds and to discover what Frosty is up to. While it is intimated that they may trade her to Mujaji or betray her presence if she doesnt come quietly, they do not actually intend to. The priests blindfold and drug Frosty with Slab before loading her into a private chartered jet. Her resistance to the drug allows for her to quickly astrally project to the runners. She only has a few seconds to answer questions after telling them to get the cache. The plane is starting to take off and she doesnt want the priests to realize that she has left her body. If the runners ask, she will tell them it is the priests, and be able to answer up to three brief questions before saying that she must go. Runners who went through the events of Dawn of the Artifacts: Midnight, may have contact information for the Vigilia Evangelica. The priests are willing to negotiate for the return of Frosty, but want to exchange her for the Sextant of Worlds. If the runners do not have the Sextant or are unwilling to part with it, the priests will only make the exchange in Rome. They know that Frosty and the runners have been traveling extensively so a trip to the Italian Confederation should not be terribly difficult. A

successful Charisma + Negotiation (5) Test will get the priests to agree to a change of venue, but they refuse to make the trade in Cape Town.

DEBUGGING
Unless the runners attempt to fire-bomb the city or drop everything and rescue Jane, theres not too much that can go wrong in this scene. If the runners do not take the hints about dividing along ethnic and metatype lines, have it become obvious that people are staring, unhelpful, and rude. Mechanically this can translate to a -1 to -4 dice pool penalty on all Social tests made while consorting inappropriately. Tests made with Tina Vicencio will not suffer these penalties as her job is to be open-minded and connect newcomers with established people in their fields.

GRUNTS AND MOVING TARGETS

Taxi Driver (Ork)
B A R S C I L W ESS Init IP CM 4 3 4 4 2 3 3 2 6 7 1 10/10 Arm: 8/6 Skills: Blades 1, Con 2, Etiquette 3 (Street +2), Gang Identification 3, Local Area Knowledge 3, Local Hot Spots 4, Navigation 4, Perception 3, Pilot Ground Craft 5, Pistols 2, Safe Houses 3, Short Cuts 4, Street Rumors 4, Undercover Cop Identification 3 Gear: Armor Jacket Weapons: Knife [Blade, DV 3P] Ares Predator IV [Heavy Pistol, DV 5P; AP -1, SA, 15(c), smartlinked] Remington Room-Sweeper [Heavy Pistol, DV 7P(f); AP +2, SA, 8(m)]

Jeepney
Northup Yellowjacket Handling Accel Speed Pilot Body Armor Sensor 0 15/30 90 1 10 4 1 Modifications: Amenities: Squatter, Multi-Fueled Engine, Pimped Ride 2 Cost: 12,000

LOCATIONS OF INTEREST
Dunusa Market
A large open air market, built along traditional Afrikaan traditions, but modernized with a full AR overlay. Nearly anything can be purchased here from clothing and food to NuYou clinic appointments and genetically engineered animals. Anything that is not immediately available can be delivered to a local residence or business. Payment is expected up front for any purchases which will be delivered. There are extensive social networks which flow through the Market, with merchants and vendors referring customers to one another. These networks also extend to individual groups, with tea houses and bars found commonly throughout the market. In keeping with the social stratification, the social establishments and networks all follow ethnic lines. While merchants will sell items to people outside their social strata, socialization is rarely done. The Dunusa Market is where the runners can find Tina Vicencio (referenced in the Cape Town handout and Cast of Shadows). She is willing to work with any ethnicity or metavariant and put them with the appropriate people. Tina can also get information and gear for the player characters (Swag, p. 287, SR4A). She is willing to trade favors, and will accept services in-kind instead of nuyen if the runners prefer. The exact details of these favors are left up to game master discretion, but can include corporate espionage, data theft, or wetwork.

Floating City
Based on an aircraft carrier, nearly 160 kilometers from the Cape Town harbor, the Floating City is the informal name for a local pirate base. A mobile rigger-stop, the crew is equal parts military, mechanic, and host. The Floating City is a common stopping point for international crews to refuel, get a few hours of sleep and a hot meal. They ferry people ashore and have a standing arrangement with the Azanians for a percentage fee of every person brought ashore. The pirates also recommend certain agents to pay bribes to in the case of expedited paperwork. Everyone on board the Floating City speaks English, though the fluency changes from person to person. They have linguasofts for sale with a ten percent discount on Rating 4 and higher to promote better communication. Cass (p. XX, Cast of Shadows) is the daytime officer of the watch. Unlike military posts, his job is to greet new crews as they offload. He makes sure that they know of all of the services available on the Floating City and sells them accordingly. A Caribbean ork by birth, he fled the area when his brother and father were killed in the fight to find a Voice of Ogoun. Cass wears several gris-gris and is a vaudun worshipper, though he has no magical ability himself.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

The Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (KBG) is a running collection of gardens interconnected by small bridges and paths. They weave and bend around the city like ivy growing from a cliff face. The paths are clearly delineated with a red marker and AR tagging that describes various points of interest and details plant habitats and uses. Each individual garden is numbered and has a colloquial namethe gardens spread to fill all available space that is left between various development projects ranging from fifty to a hundred square meters on average. The largest gardens were set aside previously and have been protected through corporate and local interests. These gardens can be thousands of square meters and often contain rare plants, monuments to key historical figures or corporate monuments and dedications. Many of the corporations and megacorps in Cape Town do botanical research in the gardens. Aztechnology and Evo maintain the largest vertical gardens in the city, with parabotanical and exotic plants found in each garden. While the upper reaches of the garden are restricted, the base of each vertical garden is open to the public.

Molo Kunjani
Owned and operated by Evo, Molo Kunjani is a highly modernized residency hotel. Jane has arranged for a villa with multiple bedrooms and shared living space. The villa is laid out with a large open area and kitchen upon first entering and bedrooms on the right and left side. Floor to ceiling windows line the eastern wall of the villa looking across the cityscape and mountains. These windows can be polarized and tinted through voice activated commands or using the villas central node. If using the optional Lifestyle rules from Runners Companion, the Molo Kunjani is a luxury hotel, with high security and amenities. There are no active wards on the villa and hotel security forbids the formation of wards by guests. There is a Rating 4 astral patrol, and Device Rating 4 security systems throughout the hotel. All Trace attempts made to track a Matrix user through the hotels connection have a +2 threshold modifier due to the extensive data flow and traffic.

Taxi Wars
Cape Towns primary forms of public transportation are taxis and jeepneys which drive along set routes or can be commissioned for specific destinations. These vehicles are garishly painted and over-accessorized as a point of pride for the drivers. While the designs and decorations are never the same between vehicles, the color schemes chosen dictate which of the factions a jeepney belongs to. With the unregulated nature of taxis and jeepneys, groups of taxi drivers have banded together for security. These groups of taxi drivers wage a gang-style war against each other. Fights between groups are often perpetrated at night, but when rival taxis pull along side each other in traffic, its common for a driver to lean across a passenger and open fire. It is considered poor form to target passengers, unless they were regular patrons which have switched allegiances. Many of the cheaper taxis and jeepneys are open air on the sides and back to make it easier for passengers to jump on (often without the taxi stopping). They provide minimal protection for the passengers from the fighting, but provide better visibility to monitor the surrounding area and watch for incoming fire.

>>>>>Art Notes Image of busy street, runners stepping out of a building or market stall. Two kombivans/jeepneys driving recklessly down the street with drivers shooting at each other. One is leaning across a passenger while firing. >>>>> End Art Notes >>>>>Insert Text Box

HOW THE OTHER SIDE LIVES

Throughout this chapter, a series of text boxes will provide the plan of the Mystic Crusaders. This plan will provide the gamemaster with information which can be modified based on actions that the runners take. In London, the Mystic Crusaders played hardball with the runners and tipped their hand enough to let the player characters see how informed, trained, and equipped the Crusaders were. Now they are playing the ghosts. As soon as the cache was sorted out, going to one side or the other, the Mystic Crusaders began moving again. Using the fragment of the Piri Reis Map to guide them, the Crusaders head towards South Africa. The fragment of the map isnt as precise as the actual Piri Reis Map, so once the Crusaders reach South Africa, they have to stop for several hours and take a new set of bearings to identify Cape Town as their destination. Depending on how much time the runners take between legs of the journey, to learn secrets from the cache et cetera, the Crusaders will start four hours behind them and gain time for every hour the runners delay. This can mean that the Crusaders arrive before the runners, if the runners delay long enough. While in Cape Town, the Crusaders try to maintain a low profile as they search for the next cache. Knight 4 is familiar with Cape Town and briefed all of her teammates on the intricate social boundaries and networks within the Azania Alliance. They will visit the museum, taking in the security measures, but not trigger the Detect (Thieves) spell since the Knights (4, 5, and 7) who enter the Iziko museum are simply trying to identify the cache and have no intention of stealing it. Once the Knights have discovered that the cache or anchor stone is not one of the items on display, but something in the storerooms, they will leave. Knight 1 will regularly (once every half hour) concentrate on Sensing to detect the artifacts and will be able to sense them within twenty-five kilometers. This means, she will know when the runners are anywhere near downtown Cape Town (such as at

the Iziko Museum or the Molo Kunjani hotel). If she does not detect all four of the artifacts, Knight 1 will instruct her team to continue planning how to recover the cache. She will take taxis through the city, focusing to identify the general location of the artifacts.

>>>>> End Text Box

THE MUSEUM
SCAN THIS
Following the information in the map, the runners approach the Iziko Museum to steal the cache. This scene includes their reconnaissance and planning. Hints begin to unravel that there are other forces in the city who want the artifact for themselves.

TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT

If you believe the AROs flooding your vision, the Iziko Museum is a shining example of the biological and cultural diversity found in the world. It looks like many other museums youve seen, a busy street, steps leading up to a massive edifice of plasticrete. Unlike others, the columns in front of the entrance are shaped like tribal spears and the occasional spirit wanders past you, up the steps. Inside, museum patrons wander the halls looking at art and floor displays. The museum guards walk quietly through the area and docents talking and giving a guided tour, walking backward but oddly never running into anyone. Children on field trips and tourists fill the halls. Approaching the museum astrally The astral space around the museum is nearly as busy as the physical space. A tall, muscular spirit floats through the area bare-chested and carrying a spear. Buzzing around him are smaller versions, yammering excitedly, constantly pointing at astral forms. The smaller spirits look to be carrying blunted spears, and fly out to see shiny things and fly back to the larger spirit constantly. The taste of warm sand and smell of fresh rain permeates the buildings space. While most of the museum appears to be unwarded, there are shining beacons on the lower level, flaming with intensity.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The Iziko Museum is built on the rubble of the South African Museum. The original museum was destroyed in 2037 and construction was finished in 2041. Architecturally, it is reminiscent of classic tribal designs seen through a modern lens. Security at the Iziko Museum is commensurate for what you would expect to find in any modern nation, with a few twists because of the Awakened nature of Azania. Physical Security There are 25 guards who monitor the building in a 24-hour period. Ten guards are on shift during the normal first and second shifts, with only five guards monitoring the building for the graveyard shift. All interior doors are equipped with a Rating 4 maglock. Each exterior door has a Rating 6 maglock with Rating 5 anti-tamper systems. Cameras cover the building, internally and externally, with low-light and thermographic. There are Rating 4 Motion Sensors covering the interior. Every piece of art is on a Rating 5 pressure sensor, and a Rating 5 TI system is active to monitor all pieces and ensure they are not moved without authorization. Astral Security The museum is under a constant astral patrol, consisting of a Force 5 Spirit of Man and five watcher spirits (p. 126, Street Magic). Any astral forms that enter the building are subjected to an Assensing + Intuition Test. During hours that the museum is closed, the patrol has a base dice pool of 16 dice, and 15 dice when the museum is open with patrons. This dice pool is modified by the use of the Concealment critter power or Manascape spell. A single hit is all that is required to identify a new astral presence in the area, additional hits will provide information per the Assensing table (p. 191, SR4A) There are two mages on duty, during all hours that the museum is open and one mage on duty two hours before opening and two hours after closing. The mages sustain a Force 7 Detect (Thieves), Extended spell. The spell will be triggered by an individual or group that comes in with intentions of stealing anything from the museum (including the cache, unless the runners specifically believe it to be separate from the museum). Force 6 polarized wards (p. 125, Street Magic) are formed around every display, starting one meter from the wall for art hung on walls, or encasing a free standing exhibit case. They are polarized inwards so that guests who are dual-natured can still perceive the items astrally with minimal distraction. The private areas (storage, staff rooms, and security areas) are surrounded with Force 7 wards. These basic wards bear the signatures of the two security mages and are solid, opaque barriers, meant to deter visitors on the astral from entering into restricted areas. Matrix Security Sculpting: The sculpting is clean and utilitarian, with marble and wood finishes. The Iziko Museum logo is prominently displayed.

Hardware: Two MCT Sentinel IIs (Persona Limit 10, Processor Limit 60) and two NeoNET Office Genies (Persona Limit 5, Processor Limit 20) Authentication: Passkey Privileges: Node 1-2: Standard Node 3-4: Admin Access Only Attributes: Node 1: Firewall 5, Response 4, Signal 4, System 5 Node 2: Firewall 5 Response 3, Signal --, System 5 Node 3-4: Firewall 5, Response 4, Signal --, System 5 Spiders: 1 Security Consultant on duty at all times, Risk Management Engineer on-call if a node is crashed. IC: Node 1: 1 MCT Bloodhound 5 (patrolling), Node 2-4: 1 MCT Bloodhound 5 (patrolling), 1 Three Musketeers Suite 5 (loaded) Resident Programs: Node 1-4: Analyze 5 Node 2-4: Encrypt 5 ARC: Launch IC (Three Musketeers Suite), Terminate Connections, Reboot Node 1 Topology: Node 1 is accessible from the Matrix via wireless, and acts as a gateway for Node 2. Node 1 is the primary node for cleaning and staff scheduling, Node 2 is a security node where the security guard schedules and records are kept, feeds from the security devices can be monitored from this node, but not edited. Node 2 acts as a gateway to Node 3. Node 3 is the inventory and transfer node, all artwork transfers must be logged into this node by the Head Curators account and approved by the Head of Securitys account. Node 3 acts as a gateway to Node 4, which is the security device control nodeall devices are slaved to it. The Telematics Infrastructure system is run from Node 4 Note: All of the Access Logs for Nodes 1-3 are maintained on Node 4. Node 1 has a honeypot in place of its Access Log which launches a Trace IC when opened. Node 2 and 3 both have honeypots as well, with Rating 5 data bombs triggered when the false log is accessed. Hackers who access Node 3 and review recent inventory transfers/sales will find that a piece from the Sumerian collection was sold to a private buyer three weeks ago. There are no details on the actual buyer, though the Apep Consortium worked as a proxy to facilitate the purchase. The item was picked up approximately seven hours before the runners arrived in Cape Town. There is an active Rating 5 Telematics Infrastructure (TI) system (p. 62 Unwired) running at all times on Node 4. This program is set to monitor all of the artwork in the museum and ensure that it does not move from place. During the day, it records the entry and exit of all devices in the building. Devices that enter during normal hours which do not exit before the museum closing are tagged for investigation. This is to ensure that no drones or RFID tags are left in the museum and that no patron attempts to hide within the museum. Devices which deactivate rather than exit the building are also tagged for investigation to verify that a patron did not turn off their commlink in order to hide.

>>>>> Insert Sidebar HELPING HANDS

John Dee, a member of the Black Lodge, has been following the runners and has information which may be useful to them. He will give them a map of the sewers, specifically access points which connect to the museums storage facilities. If asked why he is giving them the information, he will simply respond that he believes sharing information between himself and their group can be mutually beneficial. Dee will ask that if the runners become privy to any information about magical breakthroughs, they share it with him. As Dee is astrally projecting, he will manifest near them and have the data transmitted to a commcode they provide. He also gives them a commcode for a drop box in case any information comes from the runners. He is not approaching the Mystic Crusaders with this information as they are fanatics and cannot be negotiated with. Dees primary purpose is to lay down the groundwork for future dealings and the scene on the Giants Causeway. Divinations done by the Black Lodge have shown that the world will change soon and the runners are at the heart of that change. The Black Lodge wants a positive relationship with them so that they are not shut out of the future events.

>>>>>End Sidebar
Walking the Museum
All of the cameras and physical security systems are hidden to be unobtrusive to visitors. Spotting each one will require a Perception (Visual) + Intuition (2) Test with a -4 dice pool modifier. This can either be done as a single test, or as an Extended Test with every two hits identifying a new piece of equipment. If a group of runners is passing through the museum looking for cameras and security systems, have the character with the largest dice pool roll, adding +1 dice for each additional runner helping to a maximum of +5. Any runner walking the area who plans on stealing the cache must roll Willpower to resist the Detect Thieves spell. The security mage has 6 hits to be modified by each runner who comes into the museum. (Detection Spell Results, p. 206, SR4A)

Dignitaries and Special Visitors

All visitors and dignitaries schedule their visits in advance with the head curator. These appointments are stored on his personal commlink and synchronized with the museums schedule on Node 2. Any visitor who wants to be guided through any nonpublic area must have an appointment scheduled on the curators agenda. This means that a hacker wishing to schedule a false appointment must hack the curators commlink and add the appointment. Every appointment goes through several exchanges between the curator and the guest, and he will recognize any changes made to his schedule. A Con + Charisma (6) Test must succeed to convince the curator that everything is in order, otherwise he will alert security. If the visit is scheduled on Node 2, the receptionist will call the curator to inform him of the visitor. At that point, the curator will review his schedule and if nothing is on the agenda, he will contact the spider on duty to Analyze the appointment as evidence of unauthorized access to the system.

Borrowing Legitimate Access

Runner teams who look into the security systems may find that they do not possess the necessary skillsets to bypass all of the security systems present. An option for attaining legitimate access to the building is use a passkey from someone who belongs in the building. The easiest way to do this is to kidnap an employee and utilize their access. Information that can be learned from different levels of employees is provided below. Security layouts are not provided for the private residences of each employee, and game masters are encouraged to utilize the aspects of Cape Town in describing the daily lives. Security guards may take a taxi to work each day, a taxi which is engaged in the Taxi Wars. The curator may stop each evening in the Dunusa Market to have a drink.

>>>>> Insert Sidebar KIDNAPPING REDUX

Kidnapping employees is a common technique for gaining information about locations that is not immediately available. Three levels of employees are offered here for GM reference. These are examples and can be used as a baseline for other staff members that may be kidnapped.

Curator
The curator is familiar with all security patrol information, but does not deal with the security systems beyond their impact on him. He knows there is an inventory tracking system, the TI system, though doesnt understand all of the limitations and restrictions of the system. Additionally, he is the only person who can authorize item transfers and sales to other museums or collections. All of his transfers and sales must be approved by the security administrator as a redundancy to ensure against fraud and hacking. He is very paranoid as he was the victim of a hacking attempt to steal several pieces of art from the Museum two years ago. Since that point, he has become very secretive of his commlink and double checks every appointment with the institution that visitors say that they are calling from.

Security Guard
Intimately familiar with all of the foot patrols, because he has walked them countless times, the security guard knows about the security systems in place and is aware of the presence of astral security. He also knows where blackout spots are within the camera system. While these spots are not especially large, they can provide points for a quick nap, application of a stim patch, or mid-shift snack.

Maintenance Worker
As the janitor, he has passkey access to all interior doors for cleaning purposes, callcodes for unlocking doors that he cannot have standard access to, and the security shift schedule. He and the security guards are creatures of habit and he knows the usual habits of the security guards such as, when they take smoke breaks, who is in a relationship, et cetera.

>>>>>End Sidebar
Approaching from the Underside
Using the sewers to infiltrate the museum, either through the plans given to them by John Dee or by collecting them on their own, is possible and bypasses most of the security systems. Runners who take this route, will need to secure means to detonate through two meters of concrete and one meter of reinforced concrete without damaging any of the items in the room above. This can be done either detonating a series of cutting charges (p. 93, Arsenal) or by simply breaching the area. If a breaching charge is used, there will be substantial rubble in the sewer, blocking up to fifty percent of the hole, and items in the area above the charge will take damage from the explosive impact as debris is thrown in all directions. Treat object as being damaged from half the DV of the explosive charge used. It will be necessary to have a firm understanding of the layout of the building and compare GPS data to ensure that the team breaches the appropriate area. If the team has not previously been in the museum and identified the location of the pyramidion, they stand a chance of detonating the device near the pyramidion and damaging it. The runners can also choose to breach in a different area, such as a hallway or staff room and then penetrate the facility from there.

>>>>>Insert Text Box

CRUSADERS PLAN, PART ONE

The Crusaders will enter through the sewers and use spirits to watch for others approaching or to detect astral signatures. When it becomes clear that they will need to cut through several meters of plascrete, they will booby trap the area as a form of interdiction. The booby traps will vary based on whether or not the runners accepted the non-lethal agreement. If deadly force is authorized, the Crusaders will place high explosive charges along the edge of the sewer tunnels, beneath the water line, and use a monofilament tripline to detonate the charges. The tripwire will also be beneath the waterline. Noticing the tripwire is a Perception + Intuition (3) test with a -2 dice pool modifier for being hidden under the water. Additional dice pool modifiers such as lighting or if the character is distracted, will apply. The lead individual will soak the damage of the trip wire and is three meters from the initial blast point. Because there is no electrical signal, the boobytrap cannot be detected with eSensing, and a non-linear junction detector will need a Rating + Rating (3) test to identify it. If no deadly force can be used, the Crusaders will use a proximity wire and release an airborne version of Slab (p. 76, Arsenal). When a character approaches within two meters, the system will release Slab down a ten meter length of the sewer line. Characters exposed to the chemical are placed into suspended animation and appear dead. The system will alert the Crusaders when it is triggered and they will respond within fifteen minutes to recover the runners and hopefully collect the artifacts and the runners commlinks. Per their agreement to take no lethal action, the Crusaders will drop the runners at a state-run hospital. The hospital will alert the authorities if they have any illegal weapons, armor, or augmentations. Beyond the booby traps in the sewer, the Crusaders will lay in wait, monitoring the museum. Without the additional artifacts, the Crusaders will need to rely on the runners to recover the pyramidion and activate the gateway. If the Mystic Crusaders recover the artifacts, they will move to infiltrate the museum themselves and recover the pyramidion.

>>>>> End Text Box

Recovering the Pyramidion
Once the runners have successfully breached the museum and made their way to the storage area, they will find the pyramidion in a shipping crate. If any of the runners are currently touching Shantayas Compass, the bearer will immediately sense the pyramidion and be able to point unerringly at the crate it is stored in. Otherwise, the runners will need to either access the inventory control system on Node 3, or pry open various storage and shipping crates looking to find the right one. Each crate is tagged with an RFID displaying a serial number which corresponds to the inventory controls. The pyramidion is four sided pyramid, measuring one meter on each face at the base. The top of the pyramid, roughly 10 centimeters down, has been removed, exposing the interior of the pyramidion to be hollow. Along the surface of the pyramid are small marks of dots and lines which dont match any known language. An Astronomy + Logic (2) or Archaeology + Logic (2) test will confirm that the markings are similar to ancient astronomer marks, but the positions dont match any known constellations, suggesting either that the pyramidion is from a much older time period than believed, or that is was crafted looking at a different night sky, such as on a distant planet. (In truth it is much older than believed, but the magic used to protect it from aging has contaminated the carbon dating procedures by changing decay rates.) The runners must now figure out how they are going to move it and where they intend to attempt the astral quest from. The pyramidion weighs roughly 1,600 kilograms. It is possible to dismantle the pyramidion by lifting the upper faces out of the grooves they rest in and pulling them off. Each facing weighs 267 kilograms with the base weighs roughly 533 kilograms.

>>>>> Art Notes

Can we get a picture of the pyramidion?

>>>>> End Art Notes PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

To make things more interesting, the museum can be on alert after a recent burglary attempt. If this route is taken, the Apep Acquisitions Specialists (Cast of Shadows p. XX) will have attempted to steal the capstone in order to save capital funds for the Consortium. When failing, they evacuated and wiped all traces of having been there. All nodes will be on active alert and the security mage and astral patrol will utilize non-lethal force for containment before asking questions (Confusion, Petrify, etc.).

DEBUGGING
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>>>>> Art Notes Need map of the Iziko Museum, ideally supporting the layers that Adam implemented with Dusk. Base Layersimple layout like you would find on a museum brochure, layer 2 full blueprintsincludes staff areas and security rooms, layer 3 full securitycamera positions, maglocks, etc., layer 4 intersection points with sewer map >>>>> End Art Notes

CONSORTIUM COMPLICATONS
SCAN THIS
The runners discover that Georgiy Abelev has purchased the capstone to the pyramidion. They must get it back to activate the astral gateway and get to the cache. Abelev plays hardball with them, negotiating hard and holds the upper handat least in his mind. It is up to the runners to negotiate or take matters into their own hands.

TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT

If the runners knew Abelevs contact info from the Dawn of the Artifacts adventures: The commcode rings several times and is finally answered on the fifth ring. A stylized icon of Abelev wearing a black three-piece suit with long coat and top hat appears in your image link. Ah, my friends, it has been too long. I had hoped you would call me weeks ago. You never call and you never write, it makes me think that you did not want to do business with me. Have you finally decided to sell me the artifacts? If the runners do not have Abelevs contact information: You have finally tracked down the contact information for the Apep Consortium representative who purchased the capstone. When he answers, a stylized icon of Abelev wearing a black three-piece suit with long coat and top hat appears in your image link. Georgiy Abelev, Apep Consortium acquisitions agent. What can I do for you today?

BEHIND THE SCENES

For once, Georgiy Abelev feels that he is in command of the situation. Whereas in his previous attempts to secure the artifacts during the Dawn of the Artifacts, he was forced to approach the runners and offer to buy them, he now has arranged it so that they contact him. The capstones purchase was arranged months ago by another member of the Consortium. When Abelev got word that the runners were in town, he began to investigate and track their movements. Now he is certain that they want the capstone and will play hardball with them to get what he wants. Georgiy has heard rumors of caches being uncovered in Tir Tairngire, and given his previous experience with the runners, believes that they are using the artifacts to find the caches. He is willing to purchase the artifacts for 500,000 nuyen each, giving the runners two million to share between themselves if they sell all four. If they are unwilling to sell, he will require a minimum of twenty-four hours of unmonitored access to the cache for himself and his team. He will return the cache to them undamaged and complete. The twenty-four hours is non-negotiable. It is the price he requires for use of the capstone for twenty-four hours. If the runners need to use the capstone for longer than that, he will extend the time with the cache commensurately. If they dont agree, he will board a chartered plane to Volgograd and deliver the capstone to the Apep Consortium office there. The runners must choose between giving the Apep Consortium access, stealing the capstone, or destroying the cache.

>>>>> Insert Sidebar

Apep Access
If they decide to give the Apep Consortium access to the cache, Georgiy will meet the runners with his team. He will not allow the capstone out of his sight, and will accompany the runners to the pyramidion. If they have already stolen it from the museum, Abelev can provide a secure location for them to bring the pyramidion. He will watch the runners as they use the artifacts to align the capstone. (Aligning the Capstone, p. XX) After they enter the gateway, Abelev will call in reinforcements. While he has no plans to betray the runners, he believes that treachery on their part is quite possible. The Apep team will wait and examine the cache, recording everything they can, including pictures of each page, measurements of all items and astral examination. At the end of the time, Abelev will give the cache back without question or comment, and leave for Volgograd with the capstone. The information will be uploaded to the Apep Consortium and they will begin analyzing it at length to study and reverse engineer the knowledge as best they can.

>>>>> End Sidebar

If the runners decide to steal the capstone and terminate their Apep contact with extreme prejudice, they will need to move quickly. From the end of the call with Abelev, they only have six hours before he boards a chartered plane. The Apep team is staying at a luxury hotel overlooking the bay. In addition to the standard team, Abelev has hired two lion shapeshifter bodyguards. Hacking Abelevs commlink will give the team the Apeps agenda and flight plans. There is also a recently added file for a bodyguard contract. Abelev has hired the lion shapeshifters and modified the contract to appear as a deal between himself and Mujaji. While the shapeshifters do belong to Mujajis pride, they are currently acting as individual citizens. Abelev believes that the connection to Mujaji will make people less likely to attack him and risk the dragons wrath. The hotel uses an extensive network of passive sensors to alert them of trouble, all systems report directly through hardline connections to the security office. If the security office is alerted to a threat, they will contact local law enforcement and give as many details as possible about armament, demeanor etc. If the runners are carrying any Forbidden cyberware or automatic weapons, a SWAT team will be placed on standby and a negotiator sent in. These actions all begin when the runners first trigger a passive system, which can be long before the first shot is fired. Security will monitor the paths of any known threats, and attempt to funnel them into controllable areas away from guests. Methods for this include adjusting the speed of elevators, locking or

unlocking doors, and sending messages to the commlinks of registered guests on specific areas to stay out of the area for security precautions. The overall plan for the hotel security relies on containment and avoidance rather than direct confrontation. All public areas have Rating 5 cameras hidden throughout to monitor the area. Each camera is equipped with low light for usage in case of emergencies when light may be diminished. A Rating 4 agent is loaded with Facial Recognition 4, Empathy 4, and Analyze 4 on each camera to monitor the feed for tampering and watch guests. Any individual that is not a registered guest of the hotel is targeted by the Empathy software to determine their mood and is uploaded to the security office for further monitoring. Ground Floor Rating 5 MAD sensors are linked to Rating 6 cyberware scanners built into columns in the lobby. As guests and visitors pass through the columns, if the MAD sensors are triggered, the cyberware scanners will check all individuals in the area and report to the security detail. Elevators and Stairs The elevators are accessed wirelessly by registered guestsall guests are given an icon which can be used to call the elevator and determine which floor they want to access. This icon can be given to visitors, the same way that a file can be copied. Through this, the hotel can ensure that people walking in off the street without any business in the hotel have a more complicated time accessing the hotel. The stairwells are all locked with a Rating 4 maglock, requiring either a passkey or the Matrix icon for elevator access. In case of power failure, all stairwell locks are set to immediately disengage and allow for uncontrolled access. If attacked in the hotel, Georgiy will activate the Panic Button system to alert security and attempt to flee. He does not want to engage directly, but will fight a retreating battle with his people doing a running retreat. Abelev has an anchored Levitate spell and will not hesitate to shoot through a window and go down that way. His team will rappel down the building if they become trapped in an area. From the ground floor, they will get into their vehicle and head directly for the closest law enforcement station.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

It is easy to increase the number of Pride Bodyguards protecting Abelev, other options include tightening the time frame, instead of having six hours before Abelev gets on the flight, shorten it to three hours or less. This will make it so that the runners do not have time to do legwork, probe the hotel system or Georgiys commlink and will be forced to move and react to actions as they come up. It is recommended that the gamemaster keep track of actual time passing as the runners discuss and make a plan.

DEBUGGING
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UNCERTAIN ALLIES
SCAN THIS
Teams which possess any of the artifacts will be monitored by Usmondo and the Heaven Herders. When monitoring becomes full blown interference, Usmondo will present the runners with a challenge. If they succeed, he will render aid to them and stand against the Crusaders until they pass the same challenge. Failure or refusal to take the trial, has consequences.

TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT

As your team is forming a plan, there is a knock on the door to the hotel room. Standing at the door is a young man, in his late twenties, obviously an elf and African by birth. Looking at his eyes, he seems much older than his body, a common trait with elves, but magnified a hundred times over. His eyes seem to be as old as the two guardians of the caches. He is wearing a grey suit and leaning slightly on an intricately carved cane. My name is Usmondo. It has come to my attention that you are here for certain objects. I can be either an ally or enemy to you in this process. May I come in and speak with you? If they let him in As Usmondo enters the hotel room, you can see that he doesnt lean on the cane while moving. Once he stops, he begins to lean upon it again. The elf scans the room looking over each of you and nods to himself. (If any of the runners are absent or hidden, he will frown slightly.) I am Usmondo, the Watcher. My sources have told me that you are here to unearth one of the ancient caches, that you bear the Eochair kailiu and mean to use them to open the gateway. I cannot stop you from doing this if that is your intent, but my people are tasked with guarding the cache from those who would seek it to do harm to the world. I challenge you to the Trial of the Crossing. If you succeed, my people and I will step aside and pose no further challenge to you. If you fail, I will leave you in peace, but my people will seek to block you from the cache. The same will happen if you choose to not face the challenge. This choice is only given once, and will be given to the crusaders who strive against you, as well.

While Usmondo is talking, the room warms slightly and his shadow shifts as if he was standing under the noon-day sun rather than in the room. A warm savannah breeze moves gently through the room.

BEHIND THE SCENES

If the runners possess any of the artifacts, they will attract attention from Usmondo and the Heaven Herd. Initially the initiatory group will focus on monitoring them. After the runners go to the museum, either physically or astrally, Usmondo will have his suspicions confirmed and know that the runners are in Cape Town for the cache. The Heaven Herd will watch the runners and determine their moral and ethical codes by watching their treatment of individuals in the street, who they meet with, and how they act. The group will also work with non-elf shadowrunners in Cape Town to follow the runners and find out where they are staying and if there are additional runners on the team who have not previously been seen (such as hackers or riggers), as they have stayed in the hotel room. When the runners are all gathered together and are forming their plan of attack, Usmondo will approach them. He wants to test them and verify that they are worthy of the cache. He knows vague details about the chalhan which has been called, but is standing as a neutral party and testing both sides. The runners must face the challenge if they do not want Usmondo and his people to challenge every step of their approach. He will place this challenge to both groups, the Mystic Crusaders and the runners, teams that succeed will be assisted.

>>>>> Insert Sidebar ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Will the Challenge injure us? The challenge cannot kill them or harm them in any lasting fashion, at most they will take Stun damage. What is the Trial of the Crossing? The Trial forces each person to face their past choices and they will be measured on the humanity displayed. It manifests differently for each person. But what do we face? The Trial will pit each of them against their better natures and force them to examine their personal histories.

>>>>> End Sidebar

The Trial works very similarly to meeting the Dweller on the Threshold (p. 130, Street Magic). Usmondo will be there, much older, leaning on his staff in a brightly colored robe, embroidered with tribal designs. GMs are encouraged to form each challenge to the personal history of the runners. If there is a moment from the PCs background that was either a large regret or a life changing event, have them examine their life if they had chosen the other path or circumstances had been different. The test can be anything that makes the runners reflect back on each of their lives. The choice doesnt matter to Usmondo as much as the reason behind it. Did the PC choose the simple path, the socially acceptable one? Did they do what was right or what was necessary? They may be posed questions such as, why do you make this choice? or if the consequences would be different, would you choose the other path? Usmondo wants to make the runners face each choice, understand both options, and accept the consequences without regret. Like the Dweller, all of the other PCs will be present and aware of the events as each of them goes through their choice. They can speak to one another, but only the runner going through the memory can physically interact with anything. After the PCs relive their experiences, they must make a Body + Willpower Test to soak 10 boxes of Stun damage. GMs can give bonus dice to the test, based on how well each runner met Usmondos criteria. Every hit that a PC gets on the test will reduce the amount of Stun damage taken by one.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

The Trial should be a voluntary task, if the GM wants to force the team to take it, Usmondo can unleash his power offensively. Each PC should roll a Willpower (10) Test. Counterspelling does not provide any bonus to this test as it is not a spell. Likewise Magic Resistance and Arcane Arrestor provide no bonuses.

DEBUGGING
Killing Usmondo (for the moment at least) will be an answer for the Heaven Herd and they will escalate their response. As soon as violence begins, he will begin to leave stating that it is obvious that the runners do not want to face the Trial. Usmondo will utilize all of his abilities to keep himself from harm, but not take any offensive actions unless the runners attack with lethal force. If the runners fail the challenge or choose not to face it, Usmondo will leave them. He and the Heaven Herd will maintain a low profile, but monitor the runners. If the runners begin to align the pyramidion, the Heaven Herd will begin a ritual casting of Powerbolt, targeting the anchor. This will destroy the anchor stone and eject the runners from the metaplane without the cache. As the runners are not the target of the ritual, they will not be given the Perception test to notice the spellcasting.

>>>>>Insert Sidebar

ALIGNING THE CAPSTONE

Once the runners have the capstone from the Apep Consortium and the pyramidion from the museum, they must align the sigils to activate the gateway. Using the Sextant, the bearer makes a Logic + Intuition (10, 1 hour) Test. This is to align the markings with astrological bodies, some of which are no longer visible in 2072. Runners with astrology or astronomy Knowledge Skills can assist the bearer through a Teamwork Test. The cache wants to be discovered and will assist the bearer of the Sextant if he is having a problem with the alignment. For purposes of this test, GMs should not diminish the Dice Pool on the Extended Test.

>>>>>End Sidebar

THE ARK
SCAN THIS
The runners must complete an astral quest into the Reliquary, an archive designed to store all knowledge and creation that has been lost from the world. They reassemble the cache and overcome a series of small obstacles before returning to their own world.

TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT

With the final calculations made, the sigils along the pyramid flash to life and the gateway opens. As before, you reach out and touch the compass-holder. Stepping across brings the sounds of thunder and musty scent of damp, aging wood and pine tar. You are in a cramped space with wooden planks forming a wall which curves slightly as it rises up behind you. Shifting between bracing timbers, you see an opening off to your right. Slowly, you move towards the opening and see the hold of a huge wooden ship open before you. The hold is filled with easels with drawings of buildings, people, animalseach figure standing alone on its own sheet. Beneath each image is a skein of yarn. In the center of the hold, an old-fashioned loom is being worked on by an ancient man. Beside him sits an image of a flying insect, resembling a mosquito, as he works on a tapestry of geometric shapes. If any of the runners do not cross over Staring at the pyramidion, there is ragged tear in the space above the electrum structure. Lightning crackles along the space between the tear and the pyramid and you can hear the distant roll of thunder. Your companions are gone, bodily transferred into the metaplane through the gateway. Approaching the old man As you step closer to the ancient figure, he turns toward the sound. Whos there? Malkitz, my son, have you come home? When the figure turns his face to you, you can see that he is blind. His eyes have been replaced by blackness with glittering points of light, a starlit sky. Come now, Im not so old as to be deaf. Make yourselves known. Following the compass You begin walking in one of the directions that the compass is pointing. As you walk, you pass easels with beautiful and exacting imageseach of them, a perfect form and understanding of an object. Continuing on, past row after row, the hold seems endless, as the walls stay at a constant distance from you. Looking back, you can see the loom off in the distance a testament to the growing space between you. As Nortovah weaves The world you come from is like these tapestries. Everything is woven from a single strand. If you pull on the string, the rest of the tapestry bunches up, distorting the image. All of it must be balanced to smooth out the irregularity. Nortovah begins threading the skein across the loom, working with the single piece of thread. As he continues, the tapestry begins to take form. Though the skein is simple unbleached wool, the tapestry is a broad spectrum of colors blending together seamlessly. The true problem lies in cutting the thread. Because all of the tapestry is interconnected, a single cut is all that is needed to unravel it. Be mindful of destroying anything that you cannot remake. This place contains all that stood to be lost in my world. What patterns of your own world have been lost without this place?

BEHIND THE SCENES

This metaplane is called the Reliquaryan archive designed to weather the storm of ages. Nortovah, the weaver, built the ark to save everything precious in his world from a rising tide of darkness. Every picture contains the pattern of an object which can be woven into existence. If he is asked what happened to his world, Nortovah will respond that his world was overcome by an ancient threat which had awoken in the hearts of men. The runners must use Shantayas Compass to find the cache. When the bearer holds it out before him, the medallion will begin to swing about and pull to a direction. Watching it, it repeats this process, pulling in three distinct directions. When the runners begin to walk in one of the three directions, the compass will stay on that path until they find the easel with the cache. The

bearer must make a Navigation + Intuition (6, 1 hour) Test to find each piece of the cache. If they take the skein and image, they will find that the loom is only a few steps behind them despite walking for an hour or more away from it. After retrieving the three pieces, the cache must be woven together upon the loom. If the runners use the Compass in search of another loom, they will find one. Weaving the cache themselves takes a successful Artisan (Weaving) + Intuition (16, 1 day) Test. If they do not have Artisan (Weaving), they will find the loom exceptionally complicated. Any spirits who are summoned will pass through the loom as if it did not exist. The loom can only be operated by a Nortovah or one of the runners who passed into the Reliquary. Nortovah is willing to weave for them when this tapestry is done. He tells them that he should be finished in three days. If they want him to weave an item without first completing his current project, they must offer him something. The weaver has no need for physical possessions or wealth and is instead a broker of life, memory and knowledge. He will require a payment from each of them and can be negotiated with. If any of the runners give life freely to him, Nortovah will drain one point of Essence, knowledge is five points of Karma, and memory is actual memories from the runners past, such as a ten year block of their life. Negotiatons can reduce these costs to a fraction of a point of Essence, reduced Karma, or perhaps a key moment (first kiss) or a constant theme (experiences tied to a single person). GMs are encouraged to barter and play out this scenario to find what is important to each runner and what they are willing to sacrifice. Runners who give a part of themselves to Nortovah may notice that images of themselves are now drawn upon nearby easels.

>>>>>Insert Text Box METAPHYSICS IN THE RELIQUARY

Within the Reliquary, time passes at an equal rate to the real world. If any of the runners choose to leave the Reliquary, they must make an Opposed Test of Charisma + Willpower against any of the runners who wish to stay. Whichever runner wins takes either the entire team out of the Reliquary by leaving, or all of them stay within. Leaving the Reliquary before the cache is assembled entirely will result in the astral quest being abandoned. The runners will need to begin the entire process again, though any sacrifices that they have made will be permanent and may need to be paid again.

>>>>> Begin Bullet Point List

*The actual physical forms of the characters and their gear is brought into the Reliquary, leaving anything that was not in hand or carried on their person behind. Any drones, bags that may have been set down, or weapons that were set nearby are left in the real world. *Within the Reliquary, runners will find that it is very easy to lose track of time unless they monitor a clock, there is very little hunger, thirst, or need for sleep to assist their bodies in keeping track of the time. All runners within the Reliquary gain the Sustenance adept power for the duration of their stay within the metaplane. *All augmentations (cyberware, bioware, and nanites) are present and remain with fully functional. *Magicians and adepts cannot astrally perceive or project; they are already in the astral space. *Magicians lose all contact with bound or summoned spirits. Magicians will only be able to summon Spirits of Man, Guidance spirits, or Guardian spirits (presuming their tradition allows for summoning them normally). All other types of spirits are unable to be summoned. *Spells and adept powers work as normal. *Technomancers lose all connection to the deep resonance and any compiled or registered sprites. None of the technomancers Echoes will function in the Reliquary. *While in this metaplane, time passes at the same speed as in the mundane world.

>>>>> End Bullet Point List >>>>> End Text Box

If the runners take more than twenty-four hours, the Mystic Crusaders will be able to track down the disturbance. Depending on the precautions the runners took, the Mystic Crusaders will overcome them and lay in wait outside of the rift or they may enter the rift to hunt the prize themselves.

DEBUGGING
If any of the runners attack Nortovah, or begin to destroy other easels, he will sever the connection to the pyramidion, forcing the runners out of the Reliquary. The capstone will need to be realigned and the quest begun again. On a second expulsion, Nortovah will permanently sever the tie and the cache will be lost.

LIVING TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

SCAN THIS
The runners survive Cape Town, whether successful or not, and fly to the Giants Causeway to meet up with Jane.

TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT

You send a message back to Cass for a pickup, and meet his crew near the waterfront. Once back aboard the Floating City, Rigger X is sitting on the stairs waiting. He has the look of a man who has been waiting for a long time, the ground near his feet covered with several cigarette butts that have been stomped out. X stands up as you approach and starts to take a step forward before Cass clears his throat loudly. The rigger stops and bends over to pick up the various butts and tosses them into a nearby trashcan. Took you long enough... Frosty called, she made it back to dIf. Where to next my brave souls?

BEHIND THE SCENES

[Replace this text with the scene's gamemaster information.]

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

[Replace this text with information on making the scene more challenging, or delete the entire sub-section.]

DEBUGGING
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PICKING UP THE PIECES

MONEY (Insert Info from Chapter 1) KARMA
At the end of any Shadowrun adventure, Karma is awarded to each shadowrunner for their part in the adventure. Just surviving deserves some Karma, and accomplishing specific goals earns more. Most player characters wont earn every point of Karma available, which is normal. For awarding individual Karma, it is a good idea to keep notes on player characters performance during the adventure. Exceptional roleplaying, humor, or heroics deserve to be rewarded, so keep notes on those actions (or others) to ensure you have an accurate tally by the end of the adventure. On the same lines, dont be afraid to subtract Karma from characters who do particularly foolhardy or out-of-character actions. Karma represents the universes reward for hard work and a job well done, and it can be lost just as easily as earned. In Harlequins Gambit, bonus Karma is also awarded for each contact the player characters earn during the adventure. If the runners have already earned one of the contacts through a previous adventure, ending this adventure on a positive note with that contact can at GM discretion increase the Loyalty rating by one point. Of course, you dont need to share this with your players. Allow them to play the adventure as presented, without informing them of what actions result in a Karma award or deduction. This will help keep them from second-guessing themselves (and you) as they go through the adventure. Generally, Karma is awarded at the end of the adventure. Occasionally, some gamemasters like to award a point of Karma during the game to reward a particularly impressive feat, exceptional roleplaying, or even a particularly brilliant in-character joke. It is recommended that gamemasters award Karma between chapters to allow runners to learn techniques from Frosty based on the caches that they return. If the characters all have unspent Karma from previous adventures, this may not be necessary.

>>>>>Begin Sidebar (table style) TEAM KARMA BY CHAPTER

Chapter 1
XX XX

Award
XX XX

Chapter 2
XX XX

Award
XX XX

Rounding the Cape

Award

Successfully steal the Pyramidion Recover the Capstone Rebuild the cache in the Reliquary Destroy the cache Recover the cache and deliver it safely Bonus Karma1 per each contact gained Cass Tina Vicencio John Dee

1 1 1 3 6 1 1 1

Chapter 4
XX XX

Award
XX XX

>>>>> End Sidebar >>>>> Begin Sidebar INDIVIDUAL KARMA PER CHAPTER
Situation
Surviving Good roleplaying Guts/Bravery Humor Pushing the storyline along

Award
3 1-3 1 1 1

>>>>> End Sidebar

LEGWORK
As the runners go through Harlequins Gambit, theyll have numerous opportunities for research. This section gives some results for legwork the runners may attempt. Research can involve the Matrix or checking with contacts, or any other method the player characters devise. Note that some information is best presented to the players as handouts. These are also found at the end of the book. You can provide them as handouts prior to starting the game, or alternatively, give the player characters the information only after they research the topic. Some may be best presented during specific scenes.

CONTACTS
If they are checking with a contact, and the contact has the relevant Knowledge skill, roll for the contact; the number of hits determines the amount of information the contact knows. Of course, a contact may not choose to share everything they know with the player charactersand in Lagos, especially, a bribe is considered standard, no matter how little (or much) the contact actually knows. Alternatively, a contact may ask around on the player characters behalf. To do this, roll the contacts Charisma + Connection Rating. Treat this as an extended test, with one hour intervals. Add up the cumulative hits to determine how much knowledge the contact is able to glean from his or her contacts. And, of course, if you believe a certain piece of information would be useful in moving the story along, you can decide to have any contact drop a hint or information at the appropriate time. Along the same lines, you can determine that a contact doesnt know the information (if it isnt time for the player characters to know it yet), or is unwilling to share it. Once youve determined the net hits a contact has made, look up the results on the Contacts table presented below.

SEARCHING THE MATRIX

Player characters may elect to search for information themselves, by scouring the various data havens and informational dump sites throughout the Matrix. In this case, have the player character perform an Data Search + Browse extended test, with intervals of one minute. Every 4 hits on the Data Search test count as 1 hit on the tables below. Extended tests, by their nature, are difficult to fail (excluding glitches), and with a one minute interval, even time isnt a serious matter for most data searches. It is highly recommended that you limit number of times a player can roll based on their total dice pool. For example, a character with Data Search 3 and Browse 3 could roll a total of 6 times. After this, any data not uncovered is simply to obscure or well hidden in

the matrix for his skills. Alternatively, you could make the test even more difficult by limiting the number of total rolls to the characters Data Search skill rating alone.

CAPE TOWN
Hits 0 1 2 3 4 Information What are you some kind of super-hero? No one wears a cape anymore. The administrative capital, you get dignitaries and crooks rubbing elbows all the time. Mujaji watches the city constantly. When the rain blows from the North, find cover and fast. Around here, friends help friends, but the tribe you were born to matters a lot more than the size of your tusks. The waterfront is where you will want to go to buy anything without filling out all the necessary forms. Step lightly though, the crews will shoot first, and read your entrails to answer their questions.

IZIKO MUSEUM
Hits 0 1 2 3 4 Information How should I know if its cold at the museum? A cultural cornucopia, the museum is an example of Modern Africa and its ancestral roots. Its downtown, near the Zulu embassy, walk lightly, security in the neighborhood is tight. Security is multi-layered, theyve been targeted for theft in the past and learned from their mistakes. Im told that the mages on staff run detection spells constantly. It may not hold up in court, but will get you bruised and battered if you ping.

APEP CONSORTIUM
Hits 0 1 2 3 4 Information Didnt they find Atlantis? They fund digs around the world, for archaeology. New on the scene, these are the high school bullies of the academic world. Rumors abound about who actually funds the digs, but they are very result driven. At times when a museum or collector wont sell, the Apep sends in thieves to steal what they want.

HEAVEN HERD
Hits 0 1 2 3 4 Information Cows from India, right? A bunch of elves in Azania who sing and dance in circles. They are a magic group from the Zulu tribe, with a troll-sized dose of hate for any non-keeb. Its rumored that they are actually a hereditary group, with all the members related to one another. Theyve gone out of their way to hit the Xhosa and Mujajis Pride a couple times, and lived to tell about it.

TINA VICENCIO
Hits 0 1 2 3 4 Information Isnt she one of those young trid stars, bearing all? Yeah, ork Filipina. That cat works out of the marketplace. She puts new faces with established ones, shes a rabbi who finds rabbis for the youngsters. Vicencios dancing to her own beat, but plays by the local rules. She can get anything from anyone for a price. She ran afoul of some Yamatetsu toughs a week ago, they heard that she put some freelancers on an intercept for a new prototype.

CAST OF SHADOWS CASS

A pirate and scoundrel, Cass is the first person that most visitors to the Floating City meet. He serves as a greeter, salesman, and watch officer, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. It is apparent that he is at home on the water, walking with the casual grace of someone who has spent their life at sea and doesnt notice the steady rolling of the deck beneath his feet. A Caribbean ork by birth, he fled the area when his brother and father were killed in the fight to find a Voice of Ogoun. Cass wears several gris-gris and is a vaudun worshipper, though he has no magical ability himself.

B 5

A 3

R 4

S 4

C 4

I 4

L 2

W 3

Ess 6

Init 8

IP 1

Arm 12/6

CM 10

Skills: Automatics 3, Black Markets 4, Duty Stations 3, Etiquette 3, Infiltration 4, Military History 2, Military Procedure 4, Negotiation 5, Supply Chain 3 Unarmed Combat 2, Vaudun Practices 3 Qualities: Black Market Pipeline, Perceptive 2, Water Sprite Gear: Armored Vest, Commlink (DR 4), Contacts (Imagelink, Smartlink) Form Fit Body Armor (Full), Weapons: Ares Crusader [Machine Pistol, DV 4P, AP +2, RC 2, SA/BF, Frangible Rounds, Smartlink]

TINA VICENCIO
A Filipino native, Tina moved to Cape Town to escape the Imperial occupation. She set up shop as an intermediary, an outsider to bring other outsiders up to speed on the social climate. Tina Vicencio is an attractive ork female who is rather tall, just shy of two meters in her bare feet. She has a bubbly voice and public demeanor, but it is an act that she can shed and become serious as easily as others shed their jackets. B 4 A 3 R 3 S 4 C 5 I 4 L 5 W 5 Ess 0 Init 7 IP 1 Arm 8/3 CM 10/11

Skills: Athletics 2, Computer 4, Data Search 5, Influence 5, Pistols 2, Local Area Knowledge (Cape Town) 5, Cape Town Shadowscene 5, Cape Town Organizations 4, Corp Rumors 4 (Cape Town +2), Local Criminal Organizations 3, Mujaji 4, Psychology 5 Qualities: First Impression, Trustworthy 2 Augmentations: Sleep Regulator, Tailored Pheromones 3, Clean Metabolism Gear: Actioneer Business Clothes, Form Fitting Body Armor (Shirt), Customized Transys Avalon (Response 6, Signal 6) with customized Novatech Navi OS (Firewall 5, System 6) running Analyse 6, Browse 6, Edit 6, and Empathy 6, Glasses with Image Link, Ear Buds, AR Gloves, Sim Module

JOHN DEE
The mysterious John Dee is a high-ranking member of the Black Lodge, a quasi-masonic secret magical society whose topmost levels of leadership assume the names and sometimes guises of famous pre-Awakening magicians and occultistsin his case John Dee, court astrologer to Elizabeth I. In an effort to avoid the attention of Frosty, Harlequin, Ehran the Scribe, and Sheila Blatavasky, the human mage will only interact with the player characters, and only in astral form. On the astral, the Black Lodge magician bears a distinct resemblance to portraitures of the historical Dee (if they care to do a Data Search for an image of the old wizard), but he also carries with him the impression of a slight miasma, like a hardcopy book whose presence is impregnated with the smell of ancient cigarettes. B A R S C I L W EDG Ess M Init IP CM 3 3 4 3 6 5 6 6 1 5 13 8 1 12S/9P Active Skills: Arcana 6 (Unique Enchantments +2), Artisan (Ritual) 6, Assensing 6 (Penetrating Masking +2), Astral Combat 6, Blades 4, Conjuring Group 6, Enchanting 6, Etiquette 5 (Magicians +2), Influence Group 5, Medicine 2 (Magical Healing +2), Sorcery Group 6 Knowledge Skills: Astrology 5, British Daytime Soap Operas 2, Dragon Conspiracies 2, Elf Conspiracies 4, English N, Enochian 3, Goetia 4, Hermetic Lore 6, John Dee 6, Law 5, Magic Background 6, Magical Threats 5, Mathematics 4 Qualities: Astral Chameleon, Geas (See Natural Spellcasting sidebar), Magician (Hermetic Tradition), Murky Link Initiate Grade: 13 Metamagics: Absorption, Cenering, Cleansing, Extended Masking, Filtering, Flexible Signature, Flux, Great Ritual, Invoking, Masking, Natural Spellcasting (See Natural Spellcasting sidebar), Shielding Spells: See Natural Spellcasting sidebar Gear: The Key of Enoch (grimoire, talisman)

>>>>> BEGIN SIDEBAR NATURAL SPELLCASTING

Prerequisite: Centering An initiate with the Natural Spellcasting metamagic has learned how to forego their normal methods of spellcasting in favor of shaping the substance of astral space directly, using their will to impose whatever spell effect they choose without having to bother with formulae or memorizing spells. As a Free Action, a magician with Natural Spellcasting may temporarily generate a temporary spell formula in their mind (this includes all spells in SR4A, Street Magic, and Digital Grimoire) with a successful Arcana + Willpower Test; the number of hits on the Test is equal to the maximum Force the spell may be cast at, though the

magician may choose to cast it at a lower Force. The magician may add their initiate grade as a dice pool bonus to this test. Generating a temporary spell formula causes Drain equal to the number of hits scored on the Test. Temporary spell formulas generated must be sustained (2 dice pool modifier to all actions while sustained) or the magician forgets them; the modifier for sustaining a temporary spell formula does not apply when casting said spell. A temporary spell formula is not forgotten if the spell is cast. Temporary spell formulae cannot be recorded, as they are highly dependent on the local magical conditions. Natural Spellcasting is a unique metamagic to the Black Lodge, couched in their obscure traditions, and may not be learned by other means. Members of the Black Lodge who are taught this metamagic are commonly forced to assume two geasa when taught this magic: that they shall not use their own memorized spells, and they must cast spells only from certain consecrated books of magic (effectively, the grimoires are talismans, see p.28, Street Magic). John Dee will not break either of these geasa except in the most dire emergency.

>>>>> END SIDEBAR

IZIKO MUSEUM STAFF

The security staff for the Iziko Museum is trained to deal with both mundane and Awakened threats to the museum due to the nature of Cape Town. They are more likely to observe and report, only responding directly if threatened.

MUSEUM GUARD
Down to earth and professional, the Museum Guards work at the museum equally for the job and for love of their culture. Slightly biased against those who serve as corporate slaves and drones, the guards come to work each day believing that they are protecting their cultural background. They are all family men though, and living to go home is more important than dying to protect a piece of art on the museum floor. B 4 A 4 R 3(4) S 3 C 3 I 3 L 3 W 2 ESS 4 Init 7 IP 2 Arm 8/6 CM 10

Skills: Athletics 4, Clubs 4, Dodge 3, Pistols 4, Perception 3, Unarmed Combat 2 Qualities: Common Sense, Perceptive 2 Augmentations: Wired Reflexes (Rating 1) Gear: Armor Jacket, Commlink (Hermes Ikon with Iris Orb), Contacts (w/smartlink and image link), Subvocal mic Weapons: Stun Baton [Club, 6S(e), AP -1/2, Reach 1] Ares Predator IV [Heavy pistol, DV 5S, AP +1, SA, 15(c), Gel Rounds, Smartlink] Ares Predator IV [Pistol, DV 5P, AP 1, SA, 15(c) Smartlink]

SECURITY MAGE
A dedicated security mage for the Iziko Museum, he works a steady shift with a partner, overlapping to cover every hour that the museum is open. While generally complacent, he will be moved to action by any thief or individual who plans to assault a museum patron. B A R S C I L W ESS M Init IP CM Arm 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 6 8 7 1 10 8/6 Skills: Assensing 3, Astral Combat 4, Athletics 1, Conjuring 4, Dodge 3, Etiquette 2, Infiltration 2, Pistols 3, Perception 4, Outdoors 1, Sorcery 5 Initiate Grade: 2 Metamagics: Masking, Shielding Gear: Armor Jacket, Sustaining Focus (Rating 7, Detection), Sustaining Focus (Rating 3, Illusion) Weapons: Vibro knife [Blade, DV 4P, AP 2] Ares Predator IV [Heavy pistol, DV 5S, AP +1, SA, 15(c), Gel Rounds, w/ smartgun] Ares Predator IV [Heavy pistol, DV 5P, AP 1, SA, 15(c), w/ smartgun] Bound Spirits: Guidance Spirit (Force 5, 3 Services), Spirit of Earth (Force 3, 4 Services) Spells: Confusion, Detect (Thief, Extended), Heal, Increase Reflexes, Invisibility, Petrify, Phantasm, Physical Barrier, Powerbolt, Silence, Stabilize, Sterilize, Stunball

HEAVENHERD
Members of an all-elven initiatory group in Azania, the Heavenherders are all highly trained and loyal to Usmondo and the group. While the majority of the Heavenherders are prejudiced against non-elves, there are a small number who do not allow

those prejudices to flavor their outlook. All of the Heavenherders share a common ancestry and though it is far enough back that they do not share a familial bond.

USMONDO (THE WATCHER)

An Immortal Elf on par magically with Jane Foster, Usmondo is the leader of the Heaven Herd. He is enigmatic and often speaks cryptically. At 2.4 meters tall, the wakyambi is thin and lithely muscled. Usmondo is primarily concerned with his peoples safety and maintaining the secrets of the previous age. He knows what is contained within the Reliquary and does not want the gateway to be opened. The strictures chalhan dont allow him to interfere with the paladins directly, though he can defend himself and his people if pushed. Usmondo has mastered the ability to hide his soul in other places to allow him to watch without fear. Treat him as having the Hidden Life power (p. 110, Street Magic) and can invoke the essence of the Dweller on the Threshold without crossing into the metaplanes. (Uncertain Allies, p. XX) Beyond these capabilities, he is capable of any magical feat that Jane can accomplish.

HEAVENHERD ADEPT
A standard adept within the Heavenherd. B 5 A 7 R 5 S 4 C 5 I 4 L 3 W 5 Ess 6 M 8 Init 9(11) IP 1(3) Arm 10/9 CM 10

Skills: Arcana 4, Athletics 3, Clubs 4, Perception 5, Unarmed Combat 5 (Blocking +2) Qualities: Adept Initiate Grade: 3 Metamagics: Adept Centering, Masking, Psychometry Adept Powers: Blind Fighting, Critical Strike 4, Elemental Strike (Acid), Improved Reflexes 2, Inertia Strike, Killing Hands, Missile Parry 2, Pain Resistance 4 Gear: Armored Jumpsuit (as Bike Racing Armor), Form Fit Body Armor (Full), Microtransceiver (Rating 4) Maneuvers: Sweep (Able to deal damage with Knockdown attack) Weapons: Extendable Baton [Club, DV 3P, Reach 1] Unarmed [Unarmed, DV 6P, Acid]

HEAVENHERD MAGE
Initiates of the highest order within the Heavenherd, these mages are trained to serve Usmondo. B 4 A 6 R 4 S 3 C 7 I 5 L 6 W 6 Ess 6 M 9 Init 9 IP 1(4) Arm 0/0 CM 0

Skills: Arcana 5, Astral Combat 4, Athletics 2, Blades (Spears) 4 (+2), Computer 2, Conjuring 6, Data Search 3, Etiquette 4, Infiltration 3, Sorcery 6, Survival 3 Qualities: Magician, Spirit Affinity (Guidance) Initiate Grade: 5 Metamagics: Centering, Geomancy, Masking, Reflecting, Shielding Gear: Weapon Focus (Rating 5) Spells: Alter Memory, Area Thought Recognition, Compel Truth, Heal, Influence, Mindnet, Offensive Mana Barrier, Powerbolt, Slay (Dwarf, Human, Ork, Troll), Stunbolt, Bound Spirits: Weapons: Spear [Blade, DV 4P, Reach 2, Weapon Focus]

APEP CONSORTIUM
The Apep Consortium is a collection of interests that finances large-scale dig sites. Most of the investors are not interested in history and little is known about the actual agenda of this group. It is clear that they pilfer more than preserve history. This team is in Cape Town to acquire the capstone but travels together regularly for various assignments from tomb raiding to active theft.

GEORGIY ABELEV
An older Russian archaeologist, Abelev has represented the Apep Consortium numerous times. Bald, thickset and boasting a thick handlebar moustache, he looks more like a mobster than an archaeologist. Abelev is rumored to be ruthless and unscrupulous in acquiring items for the Apep Consortium.

>>>>>Delete inappropriate stats.

B 4 A 4 R 4(6) S 3 C 5 I 4 L 3 W 5 Ess 4.3 Init 8 (10) IP 1(3) Arm 7/4 CM 10

Skills: Arcanoarchaeology 5, Archaeology 6, Corporate Politics 4, Dig Sites 4, Electronics 3, Infiltration 3, Influence 6, International Law 5, Perception 4, Pilot: Ground Craft 2, Pistols 4, Running 4, Security Procedures 4, Unarmed Combat 2 Qualities: First Impression Augmentations: Skillwires (Rating 5), Synaptic booster (Rating 2), Synthacardium (Rating 2) Gear: Aces High Jacket, Berwick Line Full Suit, Glasses (Vision Enhancement 2, Smartlink) Hermes Ikon, Iris Orb, FTL Matrixware Power Suite, Weapons: Colt America L36 [Light Pistol, DV 4P, AP -4 SA 11(c), APDS, Smartlink]

APEP TREASURE HUNTER

One part investigator, one part grave-robber, the Apep Consortium Treasure Hunters are specialists in surviving the threats of ancient ruins. They are equally comfortable talking with the more civilized world, and negotiating for funds for their next dig-site. B 4 A 5 R 4 S 3 C 5 I 6 L 5 W 5 Ess 5.4 M 7 Init 10 IP 1(4) Arm 7/4 CM 10

Skills: Arcana 4, Assensing 4, Athletics 3, Dodge 5, Exotic Melee Weapon (Monofilament Whip) 5, Influence 4, Pistols 3, Spellcasting 4, Stealth 4, Summoning 3, Survival (Desert) 5 (+2) Ancient Civilizations 5, Magical Background 4, Talislegging 3, Mythology 3 Qualities: Magician, Perfect Time Initiate Grade: 2 Metamagics: Divining, Psychometry Augmentations: Reflex Recorder (Monofilament Whip), Synthacardium 3, Trauma Damper Gear: Aces High Jacket, Berwick Line Full Suit, Contact Lenses (Smartlink), Hermes Ikon, Iris Orb, FTL Matrixware Power Suite, Form-Fitting Body Armor Half Suit, Monofilament Whip, Professional Camera, Macro Lens, Telephoto Lens, Sleeping Bag, Spellcasting Focus (Detection Force 5), Sustaining Focus (Health Force 4) Spells: Analyze Device, Catalog, Detect Magic, Improved Invisibility, Increase Reflexes, Levitate, Light, Oxygenate, Spatial Sense (Extended), Translate Bound Spirits: Spirit of Man (Force 5, 3 services) Weapons: Monofilament Whip [Whip, 8P, AP -4, Reach 2] Colt America L36 [Light Pistol, DV 4P, AP SA 11(c), Smartlink]

APEP ACQUISITIONS SPECIALIST

Occasionally, the Apep Consortium runs into a dealer who isnt interested in parting with an item that the Apep Consortium wants to collect. Thats when the Acquisitions Specialist gets called in. Thieves, scoundrels, and unethical fiends, the specialists get the job done without anyone knowing that it happened. B 5 A 7(10) R 5 (8) S 4 C 4 I 5 L 3 W 4 Ess 2.6 Init IP 10 (13) 1 (4) Arm 10/6 CM 11/10

Skills: Athletics 5, Con 4, Electronics 5, Etiquette 3, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Garotte) 4, Locksmith 5, Perception 5, Pistol 4, Stealth 6, Survival (Urban) 3 (+2) Qualities: Catlike, Perceptive 2, School of Hard Knocks Augmentations: Datajack, Enhanced Articulation, Genewipe, Muscle Toner (Rating 3), Reflex Recorder (Stealth Group), Sim Module, Synaptic Boosters (Rating 3), Synthacardium (Rating 3) Gear: Chameleon Suit, Climbing Gear, Earbuds (Audio Enhancement 3, Spatial Recognizer), Electronics Toolkit, Form-Fitting Body Armor (Full Suit), Goggles (Low-Light, Thermographic, Flare Compensation, Smartlink, Vision Enhancement 3), Grapple Gun, Maglock Passkey (Rating 5), Sequencer (Rating 5), Stealth Rope with Catalyst Stick, Stim Patch (Rating 6) Weapons: Monofilament Garotte [Garrote, DV 8P, AP -4] Ares Light-Fire [Light Pistol, DV 4P, AP SA 16(c), Silencer, Smartlink]

PRIDE BODYGUARD
A Lion shapeshifter, this bodyguard is a member of Mujajis Pride. He is highly trained and aware of modern threats, though maintains a somewhat feral outlook. The shapeshifter wears armor, but will quickly discard it to shift back to his animal form when instincts take over. When fighting with blades, the bodyguard is trained to attack with one blade and use the other to constantly defend his body against blows.

B 9

A 7

R 7 (10)

S 6

C 4

I 4

L 4

W 5

Ess 6

M 8

Init IP 11(14) 1 (4)

Arm 18/16

CM 13/11

Skills: Armorer (Blades) 4 (+2), Athletics 5, Ambush Tactics 4, Blades (Swords) 6 (+2), Etiquette 2, Firearm Identification 3, Intimidate (Physical) 4 (+2), Perception 5, Security Procedures 5, Unarmed Combat 5 Qualities: Adept, Allergy (Silver, Severe), Ambidextrous, Shift (Human), Vulnerability (Silver) Initiate Grade: 3 Metamagics: Adept Centering, Attunement (Blades), Attunement (Lions) Adept Powers: Improved Ability (Blades) 2, Improved Reflexes 3, Killing Hands, Missile Parry, Mystic Armor 4 Gear: Light Military Armor (Insulation 5, Non-Conductivity 6, Quick Release, Ruthenium Polymer Coating, Strength Upgrade 3), Helmet Maneuvers: Two-Weapon Style Weapons: Sword (x2) [Blade, DV 6P (8P in armor), Reach 1, Attuned]

>>>>>Handouts >>>>>Location file

>> Incoming Private Message >> From: Traveler Jones >> Re: Cape Town A mutual friend of ours mentioned that you were headed into the southlands and asked if I had any advice to share. Shes burning favors right and left for you, so I hope youre worth it. Cape Town is a pirates playground, dragons backyard, and hotspot for corporate tourism. Theres a ton of biz here if you know where to look. Now, my friend tells me you know what to do, so well look over that and focus on the critical points. The Cape is the second largest city in the Azania Alliancenow, the Azanians will let nearly anyone in, but they absolutely love paperwork. Customs forms are completed in triplicate with the information asked for in such convoluted ways that half the agents on the market get confused. That means a lot of typingtyping which takes time. There are rush fees, think of them as legalized bribery, to get your paperwork taken care of without waiting a month and a half for forms to get typed in. Once you are in, keep flashing the SIN that your customs paperwork is tied to. If you plan on flashing different IDs, make sure they all have the necessary paperwork. Now, Cape Town is one of those cities you can eat your way acrossnearly anything can be found in restaurants, but theres also literal low-hanging fruit. If you ever need a quick snack just put your nose into the breeze and follow the sweet smells to the closest garden. Technically theyre called the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, though the locals just call them by whichever individual garden they are in. The KBG is a sprawling set of gardens and paths around the citylike devil rat nests in the barrens, these things are anywhere that had a few square meters that wasnt taken over by the corps. Be on the look-out for scientists, while the fruit on the lower levels is usually fair game for anyone who wants it, several of the corps perform genetic experiments on the upper levels of the vertical gardens. With your appetite sated for a little while, youll need to find ways around town. If you have your own vehicle, thats best, but be prepared for a wild ride. There is a lot of congestion in the streets, with taxis, jeepneys, and combivans driving all over the place, and passengers will often jump on the back of a moving jeepney with an open seat. The corps tried to regulate the business but couldnt breach the tight knit groups of drivers, many of which have family ties to the business for the last century. When the big boys pushed, and brought their own taxis in, the streets became a mobile battleground. On the outskirts of the city, drivers wage war against the corporate drivers and other groups which have allied themselves against various groups. These taxi wars as they are called locally are generally between drivers, though regular passengers are recommended to pick a side and stay with it. While the fight is between drivers, passengers do get caught in the crossfire, so be prepared and remember to wear body armor. Another threat in the city is one that struck close to my heart, well at least scarred my stomach, is Mujaji and her Pride. While all great dragons have an ego larger than most metroplexes, Mujaji keeps a tangible example of hers in a pride of lions. Most of the pride are shapeshifters and do her bidding in the city when they are not traversing the mountain range to keep it free of interlopers. It is important to note that cat-girls are very different from girl-cats, the latter dont mind taking a swipe at your abdomen and trying to eat you alive when they stop liking the foreplay. If you can keep yourself alive long enough, the last thing you will need to do is embed yourself in local society. Cape Town is a port city and used to having strangers arrive on their doorsteps. The city has a way of killing or driving out newcomers within the first six months, if you survive that long, your chances of long-term survival go up dramatically. Most of the shadow scene divides up on cultural linesethnic and social backgrounds. If you socialize outside of your circles, it will be harder to fit into the city. To help blend in, stick to your castes and visit the Dunusa Market. The market sells everything if you have the right forms filled out and enough nuyen. It also serves as a meeting place, with stalls devoted to tea-houses and bars, by watching the people who come and go from each one, you will quickly figure out where you belong. Also, there are over a dozen languages recognized by the government and even more used commonly. Id recommend chipping a handful if you dont know them. I know that having friends on the ground can be helpful, so if you need someone to sort out baggage and connect you to the right people, reach out to Tina Vicencio. Youll find her in the Market most days. Tell her I sent you and youll get a discounted rate, but its just biz for her. >> End Message

>>>>> Artifacts Sheet

EOCHAIR KAILIU
Each of the artifacts from the Dawn of the Artifacts adventures is used as a key to unlock the caches of knowledge. Once they have been empowered, each artifact has a unique power that it grants to its possessor. Unlike most foci, the artifacts do not need to be bonded and anyone holding the artifact can trigger its power. Due to the nature of the artifacts, characters can only use the power of a single artifact at a time, even if they are holding several. Activating any of the artifacts requires physical contact and any skills or abilities granted by the artifact are lost immediately upon severing contact. Any of the artifacts if activated, can be carried with the astral form of a mage, similar to weapon foci.

Each of these artifacts is individually quite powerful and extremely valuable. Being seen with the artifacts can compromise the runners ability to blend in. Whenever the runners are actively using an item, such as the Piri Reis Map, the need for physical contact will facilitate their need to be held in hand and visible. This will draw attention to the runners, varying from spirits drawn to the power of the artifacts to antique collectors who want to procure the artifacts. (The methods used in procuring the artifacts may vary by collector.) Reports of the artifacts will make it harder for the runner team to keep a low profile and function as a Distinctive Style applying a +4 Dice Pool modifier to all attempts to identify, trace, or physically locate the character. (p. 103, Runners Companion) This modify will stack with any other Distinctive Styles that a character may have, to the normal maximum of +6 dice. Gamemasters are free to add optional encounters as different groups come calling for the artifacts. Options for these groups include arcanoarchaeologits, treasure hunters, and other shadowrunner teams. In addition to the academic and criminal entanglements, law enforcement may get involved and attempts made to confiscate the artifacts. The runners will likely not have permits for these items and the nature of the artifacts means they may be desired by the FBI, Interpol or local forces such as the ZDF in Denver.

PHAISTOS DISC
The Phaistos Disc is a forty-five-centimeter flat stone disc that serves as a Rosetta Stone for the Piri Reis Map and translates the encoded writing of a forgotten language into one that bearer understands. There are 241 markings that were stamped into the disc using forty-five unique characters. The iconography of the disc does not match any known script. After one hour of contact to any new language in use, the bearer of the disc makes an Intuition + Logic Test using a threshold as noted on the Linguistics Table (p.177, Street Magic). If successful, the bearer develops the Language skill at Rating 1. Any languages learned this way are immediately lost if the Phaistos Disc is given to someone else, or the bearer ceases physical contact. If the bearer spends Karma to purchase the language at Rating 1, the knowledge is retained after relinquishing the disc. No tests are needed when purchasing a language granted by the disc at Rating 1. Raising the language skill beyond that may require Instruction Tests as normal.

PIRI REIS MAP

A Renaissance style map of the world, the Piri Reis Map shows the entire world, even filling in sections that had not been discovered by the 16th Century when it was believed to have been made. When viewed in astral space, the map is not only clearly visible, but shows additional details, such as ley lines and places of power, along with other, hidden aspects that appear to be ghostly islands, mountains, and other sites not on modern or historical maps at all. Unrolled the Piri Reis Map measures one meter tall by two meters wide. When the map is unrolled, any character touching it can sense fluctuations and elements of mana and astral topography in the vicinity without requiring active astral perception or projection, or even line of sight. The map will show them mana ebbs and surges, mana storms, astral rifts and shallows, voids, alchera, background count and other aspects of the astral terrain and mana field it will not detect astral forms, spells, mana barriers, spirits, or foci. To use this ability requires the character to concentrate for a Complex Action and make an Intuition + 10 Test. The maps base range is 5,000 meters; multiply a phenomenas rating by this base distance to determine how far away it can be detected. Use the Detection Spell Results table (p. 206, SR4A) to determine the results.

SEXTANT OF WORLDS
The Sextant is a cross between an armillary sphere and a navigational sextant, although what it might navigate is a mystery known to only a few. In the center is a sphere of polished orichalcum, which anchors a small, unremarkable stone. The sphere is mounted on a staff, which is intricately carved with spiraling designs and undeciphered glyphssymbols which are also found on the Piri Reis map. The bearer of the Sextant can use it to find any item, place, or person that she has seen before. To find the target, roll an Intuition + 10 (5, 10 minutes) Extended Test. Apply appropriate modifiers from the Search Modifiers Table (p. 297, SR4A) The bearer must have physically seen the object, images from the Matrix will not suffice.

SHANTAYAS COMPASS
Shantaya's Compass is a two-part artifact. The first part is a disc made of bronze with gold and silver inlays. It is about 15 cm in diameter with a thickness of about one centimeter. The front of the disc appears to be the mater and plate of an astrolable, lacking any rete or rule. There are sixty points around the edge of the disc, each with a different marking that appears to be in the Indus script. The back features a recessed circle with a short, flat alidade that rotates within the indentation; the alidade appears to be gold, but close examination reveals it to be made of orichalcum. Near the edge on the back is a pair of bronze spiral hooks, about a quarter-circle apart, that were added in the sixth-century BCE to allow the chain to hook to the Compass and form a medallion. The chain is about 70 cm long and wrought with alternating bronze and silver links. Every other silver link is decorated with a smooth, polished gemstone, no two alike, along the chain's entire length. The bearer can sense magical activity on the same plane within 100 meters of his person. This power will detect active foci, spells, mana barriers, dual-natured beings, and mana anomalies; if the bearer is present on the astral plane it will also detect astral forms.

chapter (18,500) + 1 Location (750) + 1 Legwork (500) + 1 Fiction (1,500) + Final Material (3,500) + Extra Handouts (1,000) = 25,750

>>>>> Closing Fiction

A warm breeze across the boardwalk brought a menagerie of scentsfresh bread, the open sea, grilled fish. The last time Samriel walked the cobblestoned street, it had been raining. Since then much had changed, information had been released and like Pandoras box, there would be no undoing it. He could at least deal with the woman who opened it. Samriel looked to the sky, there wouldnt be a moon tonight. It would be the best time. He walked past the caf where he had sipped coffee, weeks ago, and continued to La Petite Rue des Feuilles. Samriel walked through the safehouse his team used during their last visit. He stopped in the kitchen and rememberedremembered the jokes they shared, laughing over dinner. That joy was a lie, the laughter betrayed just as truly as the mission that Samriel had served. The secure message he sent was simple. You betrayed my trust. Im going to do what I should have done before. It would take a few moments to reach the recipient as it bounced through proxy hosts and was scrambled several times. The communication system was untraceable and by the time she ran through the list of actives, to find him, hed be gone. Then came the packing... Each safehouse included a cache of supplies in case a Crusader was in the area with his assets burned. Samriel took stock of everything, disposing of items that he wouldnt need and strapping the rest on to his tac-harness or tucking the small boxes into the ruck sack he brought. The more noticeable pieces were inventoried and checked before also sliding into the ruck sack. Ammunition, weapons, explosives, optical chips, it all went in. His comm chirpedshe was calling. Samriel was tired of talking; he didnt want to listen to her. She would try to convince him not to do this, using arguments from before, and the aces of contention that she had held onto until this moment. He didnt give her the chance. The chirping commlink was pitched into the same pile of leave behinds as everything else. Slinging the rucksack over one shoulder, Samriel walked to the door. For a second, he could hear the laughter of the teamsee Nine pour a thimbles worth of Orkstaff for Thirteenthen it was gone. Samriel triggered the burnout system. Behind him, Samriel could smell the detcord burning through the walls, igniting phosphorous which would burn bright and hot. Smoke began to wisp out of the upper windows as he walked away. No backward glances, he had a lifetime of regrets but there would be no new ones any longer. He tossed the rucksack to the three shadows that formed out of the darkness. His shadows, the ones who had been with him through it all, knew the burden of the Knights. They chose to stand beside him and tonight, all three would earn their title of master. This would be their greatest challenge. Tonight there would be truth and all that was hidden would be revealed. Samriel and his shadows, brothers in arms, walked to the pier. Their next stop would be Chateau dIf and Revelations. *** In Atlanta, Sheila could feel her tightly wound control unraveling. She had waited, biding her time, carefully manipulating each string of the tapestry until it was perfect. The Scribe had been fooled, running a fools errand to bring the eochar kailu together. She had drawn shadows long and deep to cast the Clown down the paths he had walked before, preparing for the Enemy. Some how, the Child had known. She would pay for stealing her Knight. Jane, Frosty, whatever she wanted to call herself, she would pay dearly. If her Knight didnt do this last task for her tonight, unknowingly fulfilling her wishes, Sheila would wait for she could not undo the Childs actions. The die was cast, the game was played. Now the knowledge would spread, like pages blown from a vast book. The question remained if the younglings of the Sixth Age would comprehend, see the vastness and draw the picture of what was to come. Sheila doubted it, they were too young, too engrossed in machinery and immediate gratification to view the larger picture. They would grasp at information, see the revelations given to them from an ancient time, and not understand. Yes, they would learn the techniques, but bend them and break themas had been done before, binding life to the lifeless, and perverting her purpose to recovering the caches. Now it was time to bring them all together, as they had done before.

>>>>>End Fiction