XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
6.5.14 Abandonar la cabina del conductor con el equipo de salvamento
>
I heard some of the shifters are specially trained to disguise themselves as normal metahumans so they can infiltrate metahuman groups. If so, the Sagan Zaba better watch their backs.>
Onedin>
And they manage this how? They’re dual-natured. That’d show up in an astral look-see.>
Skeptic>
Look, I just post what I hear. Don’t ask me if it’s true.>
Onedin>
What about super-shifters—beings who can assume the form of any animal or metahuman? There aren’t many of them, but whenever one shows up, something significant happens. I think the super-shifters are elite agents for this Vernya spirit.>
Prospero>
I think you’re spooked by the shapeshifters. I’ve seen one in action, and I’d say it’s more like some kind of animal spirit. (And no, I’m not going to elaborate on the circumstances. I’d like to stay breathing.)>
GelfmanAs for Vernya, most ordinary Siberians are unaware of the spirit and know only that the government shares power with the shapeshifters. Even now the majority of dissidents and rebels believe the shapeshifters control the government; they don’t realize that someone else controls the shapeshifters.
>
Word is filtering down to the frontline troops, though. In Irkutsk, the shadow market is booming for fetishes and pro- tection charms against evil spirits and spirit magic. Not that it would help against Vernya, if the rumors about the spirit are even half true.>
OnedinSagan Zaba
The Sagan Zaba takes its name from a landmark on the shores of Lake Baykal. The real Sagan Zaba (meaning “White Rock”) is an outcropping of white cliffs on one face of Olkhon Island, a large isle approximately 250 kilometers northeast from Irkutsk. Prior to the Awakening, Russian archaeologists discovered primitive drawings in cave dwellings adjacent to the cliffs, and also some fragmentary relics, including what appeared to be a sacrificial altar. After Yakut broke away from Russia, the shores close to Olkhon Island fell into Yakut hands. Now the Sagan Zaba controls the area around Lake Baykal, including Olkhon Island.
>
No one sets foot on Olkhon Island because it’s haunted. The Siberians and Russians both tried sending forces to the island, but within two weeks they vanished without a trace.>
Golomyanka>
Until this year. UGB border patrols in rebel territory reported seeing people on the island in the past couple of months. They tried to send scouts to see if whatever curse had been lifted, but no one ever heard from them again. The Evenks aren’t talking.>
Onedin>
Has anyone noticed that Sagan Zaba lies at the longitudi- nal opposite of Crater Lake in Tir Tairngire? I wonder if that means anything.>
National GeographerThe majority of the Sagan Zaba are native Siberians, along with some Russian expatriates, most descended from the survivors of the Soviet gulag system. The driving force behind the Sagan Zaba are the Evenks, indigenous to the Lake Baykal region. Nearly wiped out by the Soviets half a century ago, the Evenks have clawed their way back from oblivion. Originally reindeer herders, Evenk culture and lifestyle resemble that of the American Plains Indians (whose ancestors migrated from Russia over the Bering ice caps). Evenk magical tradition bears a striking similarity to Native American ways, both exhibiting a strong shamanistic streak revolving around animal totems.
>
Bear and Wolf are common totems among Evenk shamans. Owl and Eagle are also favored, but rare. A few Coyote shamans turn up pretty regularly—probably another one of Grandfather Coyote’s tricks.>
WiliBecause they share a name, a connection clearly exists between the Sagan Zaba movement and the Sagan Zaba landmark. From what I’ve pieced together, a group of disaf- fected Evenk shamans sent a team (probably shadowrunners) onto Olkhon Island to retrieve an artifact their folklore said would help them fight the shapeshifters. The artifact they brought back, however, revealed a lot more; it clued the local shamans in to Vernya’s existence. The rest of the story is obvious.
>
So what is this artifact? Some kind of anti-shifter tool? A spe- cial spirit focus attuned to Vernya?>
Curious George>
The Russians definitely want to know. The UGB has posted a big reward for anyone with information on this relic or the details of that expedition.Considering this fledgling rebellion’s success so far, the obvious question is who’s backing the Sagan Zaba. Right now, only one candidate can safely be ruled out: the Russians. The Evenks hate them as much as they hate the shapeshifters. Manchuria is more likely, given their mutual hatred of the Yakut government, but Lake Baykal is a little bit out of Manchuria’s reach. The Japanacorps and the Pacific Prosperity Group are possibilities, but it’s risky for either of them to stick their necks out on this while the rest of the Pacific Rim is up for grabs.
>
What about Lung or Ryumyo? If this rumor is true about a free spirit with Siberia as its personal domain, I think both of them may have a vested interest in countering it.>
Wyrm Watcher>
My money’s on Buttercup. Maybe this Vernya spirit is com- petition—and Buttercup has Yamatetsu’s Russian assets at her disposal.>
SpiderhawkTHE SAVAGE LAND
Yakut is a vast land with few means of getting in or around, and little to see other than trees, more trees, wild beasts and shapeshifters. A few areas in Yakut, however, have garnered significant attention lately.
Yakutsk
Officially, Yakutsk is the capital of Yakut, center of gov- ernment administration. As mentioned earlier, though, the real decision-making power lies with the shapeshifters; Yakutsk merely maintains the façade of a legitimate political entity. Not much biz to be had, either; the shapeshifters are everywhere in this town, and no one has the guts to work against them.
>
Not entirely true. Plenty of politicians and bureaucrats sym- pathize with the Sagan Zaba but fear being found out. They funnel important information to dissidents and rebels, but are paranoid about secrecy. The methods and runners they use are so sophisticated, it puts the UGB to shame.>
YelenaLake Baykal
Russia’s fight with the Yakut natives in the 2030s split control of Lake Baykal, with the Russians controlling the southern half and Yakut controlling the northern half. The Sagan Zaba have since replaced the Yakut government by the northern shore, but little else has changed. Border skir- mishes with the Russians remain an everyday occurrence.
The Sagan Zaba’s recent success in driving the Yakut government out of the area has prompted a lot of interest,
particularly in the White Rock. If the Evenks found one arti- fact around which to rally their rebellion, then others may await discovery—including ancient spell formulae that target shapeshifters or conjuring rites useful for binding, trapping or even banishing Vernya.
>
Even before the rebellion, Lake Baykal attracted its fair share of archaeological looters, such as the Atlantean Foundation and the Apep Consortium. The Atlantean Foundation’s close ties with the Red Army enabled it to get some protection for runs into the Yakut-controlled portions of Lake Baykal.>
Ivanova>
Talislegging is lucrative too, particularly in the Barguzin Mountains northeast of the lake. Firebird feathers are especial- ly hot, but be careful. The area has some wild mana surges and ebbs, so any kind of sorcery or conjuring is risky business.>
Gusli>
Lately, folks in DeeCee have been speculating that Dunkelzahn meant the White Rock when he wrote “where the Rock meets the Sky” in his will. The Draco Foundation won’t confirm or deny this.>
DeeCee Insider>
Speaking of the Draco Foundation, on Olkhon Island, people apparently have started seeing rock-beings wandering around. I think it’s fake, but a lot of serious people seem interested, including the Draco Foundation and the Apep Consortium.>
Magister>
What, you’ve never seen an earth elemental?>
Wycche>
It’s not an earth elemental. I saw one of these rock-things further east, past Ulan Ude. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s just an Evenk variation of the Stoneskin spell. The astral signa- ture was weird, though.>
Baba YagaTunguska
Yeah, I hear you: what, that conspiracy theory again? For those of you who avoided the UFO loonies, back in 1908 something from space crashed around the Stony Tunguska River, so hard that train passengers near Irkutsk—a thousand kilometers away—saw it. Conventional wisdom says it was a comet or meteorite, but people have observed weird mag- netic effects and biological mutations in the area for decades. The Sagan Zaba rebellion is bringing Tunguska renewed attention. The rebels have taken an interest in it, which sug- gests they know something. After the Awakening, persistent