F Mantenimiento de la carretilla
4.1 Esquema de lubricación
Burmese Army. He’s using his media corporation to cover his associates’ activities and discredit competitors. If he wins the 2065 presidential elections, the last remnants of democracy in the country will likely be lost. Anti-corruption and anti- Mafia groups strongly oppose him. Corporations also oppose him, as his arrival to power would certainly mean a sharp increase in the bribes involved in any contract, significantly reducing profits.
>
Only Mitsuhama backs him, as the Yakuza offered a partner- ship to secure a better control of the local drug production.>
Yakkity-Yak>
An amusing name. Such impudence is unbecoming against a hero of the Burmese people, however. I would not say such things openly if I were you.>
Iconic>
Obviously, I’m deeply concerned.>
Yakkity-YakThe Karennis and Chin Enclaves
Independent after the 2022 referendums, the Karennis enclave in the east and Chin enclave in the west (formerly the Kayah and Chin states) were forcibly re-annexed by Burma to secure its border. Today, the democratic path to self-determi- nation is gone as the corrupt government wants to keep the profits coming from corporate exploitation in those areas.
In response, Karennis and Chin freedom fighters have taken the fight to the next level. Just like the Shan did decades ago, they coordinate attacks from “refugee” camps, respectively in the mountains on the Thai side of the border— renewing tensions between Burma and Thailand—and the Bangla Commonwealth.
CAMBODIA: COVETED RUINS
Population: 8,947,000 (Khmer 85%, Chinese 4%, Thai 3%,
Vietnamese 3%, Other 5%)
Major Languages: Khmer (95%), Thai (12%), Chinese (4%) Major Religions: Buddhist (79%), shamanist (8%), Muslim (4%)
Christian (4%)
Major Corporate Backers: Esprit Industries, ShinSiam, Saeder-
Krupp, Wuxing
Major Underworld Players: Triads, Cambodian Army
Cambodia’s politicians try their best to rule the country properly—that is, prying out the maximum amount of money for themselves from the already crippled nation as usual—but a new menace threatens them: Angkor’s naga. Most of the intel I’ve gathered on the mysterious naga comes from an old shaman that I’m sure knew much more than she told me.
Here’s the story: the Cambodian royal line is said to come from the union of a Khmer prince with a female naga. In fact, the naga are quite unhappy with how the Kingdom has been ruled in their absence. They don’t feel the same urges as metahumans such as greed or power-hunger, but they want two things: due respect from metahumans (who should know they are lesser beings) and peace in their domain. Led by a mysterious 7-head-
ed naga raja (king) named Vasuki, they plan to rebuild the Naga Kingdom—whatever that is—and then offer their righteous rule to the land in exchange for an oath of fealty.
>
There are good chances that the whole country will beg for membership in snakeland. Since the naga comeback around 2013, peasants worship them as sacred rulers of rivers and rain. With a wrecked economy, recurrent famine and leaders who couldn’t care less, no wonder they’re willing to try some change.>
KramaThe aging king, Sindarath Sisowath, actually wouldn’t mind handing the crown to the naga for the good of his peo- ple, but his son, Prince Naradorom, strongly opposes this pos- sibility. Prime Minister Mak Sok and his cronies are directly threatened by this insurrection and intend to put an end to it. Without a decently equipped army to crush it, however, they have turned to their corporate benefactors.
>
Who in turn will hire mercs and runners to do the dirty work. I can’t wait for my new pair of naga boots.>
Flak JackThe naga have formidable magical powers, but their true force is the veneration they inspire. Many Awakened species, such as the Tonle Sap merrow, have joined their ranks. I’ve heard rumors that some naga can shapeshift into humans to infiltrate metahumanity, or even that one or more dragons support them. One sure thing is that if fighting for a cause has no appeal to you, they pay very well, primarily in rare naga emeralds.
>
The naga emeralds are really fascinating. They don’t match up with normal emeralds, at least not according to scientific analysis. Their crystalline structure actually shifts within the stone, producing the unique swirling effect that puts them in such high demand. There are all sorts of theories as to how the shifting occurs, much less with no outward effect. Some locals claim they have magical properties, but no one’s been able to prove anything yet.>
China Doll>
That’s because they aren’t stone. They come out of the naga somehow. I don’t know yet if they’re tears, piss or sweat, but I’ll find out in time. The naga can then use these stones to control their owners. It’s like a drug of some sort.>
Telesmina>
I heard naga agents created the Four Winds Gang, a new Triad based out of Phnom Penh. They’re currently battling Cambodian crime lords for control of the country’s underworld, hoping to further destabilize Cambodia so that the naga expansion plans won’t meet much organized resistance.>
Legionnaire>
Something gave the naga and their allies a big magical boost. One monk told me the Great Mekong Spirit is now on their side. Their merrow allies are not your run-of-the-mill, primi- tive-spear-brandishing type anymore. The ones I met were wearing armored jackets and holding harpoon guns. They were levitating out of water and they could talk.>
Jungle Mage>
And I saw some that had legs and looked like lizardmen! Either that or I missed my monthly meeting. Or you did.>
T-totalerThe naga are all about symbols. Their most prized artifact still eludes them: the magic sword symbol of the Khmer Kingdom’s strength and unity, the Preah Khan, was lost in 1971. Sophie de Rochefort, a French Esprit Industries corpgirl, claims to have the sword and intends to use it to bargain for a position of greater power in Cambodia for her corporation. The naga deny that the sword she possesses is the real Preah Khan and strongly oppose her.
>
Sophie is a talented mage and the French Army’s backing her. France never really let go of Cambodia after its indepen-dence, and won’t miss the opportunity for a big comeback in the region.
>
Fleur-de-LysTHE KASHIN STATE: THE GREEN DOVE
Population: 3,501,000 (Kashin 62%, Lisu 9%, Tibetan 8%,
Hkamti 5%, Other 16%)
Major Languages: Kashin (70%), Burmese (55%), Tibetan (9%) Major Religions: Christian (68%), Buddhist (19%)
Major Corporate Backers: Yamatetsu
Major Underworld Players: Triads (very limited)
The Kashin are at the crossroads of the Himalayan, South and Southeast Asian cultures. Christianized in the nineteenth century, their faith has always been a mix of all those influ- ences. Lots of Tibetans fled Tibet around the turn of the centu- ry. They went to Nepal and India, the most commonly thought of destinations, but also to northern Burma. When the Kashin state became independent, Buddhism flourished once again. Its teachings were combined with the Christian faith by those in the area, and the resulting mix held so much sway over the people that they completely abandoned the traditional poppy crops, as well as the culture of drugs and money that surrounds such enterprises. Instead, far from the main urban centers that