Shadowrun

Shadowrun General => The Secret History => Topic started by: Beta on <01-18-19/1703:13>

Title: Washington question (from Toxic Alleys)
Post by: Beta on <01-18-19/1703:13>
This contains some spoilers for Toxic Alleys.  Read the rest at our own risk.

[spoiler]Toxic Alleys looks like it should be a lot of fun to run.  But knowing my game, just leaving countless shedim holding tea parties in Arlington Graveyard isn't going to go over all that well.  And in fact, I think it may stretch suspension of disbelief if there is no sense of urgency about this from NPC. 

So I'm trying to understand what is going on with that.  I think what I understand of canon is that when the Watergate rift opened and many shedim spirits came in, a bunch of them somehow penetrated the ground at the Arlington Memorial (cemetary, graveyard, whatever the name is), and inhabited the bodies buried there.

And have stayed there since?

Because they were smart enough not to replay night of the living dead?  Because they tried that, had their host bodies shredded, and went back to the graves to hide in whatever else they could find?  Because someone is commanding them and has persuaded them to bide their time all these years?

And the powers that be know about this, but haven't done anything about it?  Because they don't want to scatter the spirits and haven't figured out how to handle this in the years since?  Because everybody is passing the buck?  Because actually the people with power to plan something haven't been told?  Because  somehow nobody has noticed?

When a shadowrunner with too strong a conscience tries to warn people-who-could-do-something about the problem, they'll polite thank him, agree that this is concerning, and not do anything?

Mages near central Washington avoid astral projection?

[/spoiler]
Title: Re: Washington question (from Toxic Alleys)
Post by: Seras on <01-18-19/1716:38>
I see your problem, but consider this. There are a ton of problems, both mundane and magical to deal with...at the same time.

You have CFD, which messed up the economy hard and caused the Boston Lockdown, the megacorp revision, Chicago, the dragon civil war, the AzAm war....just to name a few.

Basically there are to many fires to put out at the same time. So they pick something to go first and hope like hell they made the right choice...

Does that help ?
Title: Re: Washington question (from Toxic Alleys)
Post by: Longshot23 on <01-19-19/0401:32>
This more or less was brought up in-universe by Puck (of all people). The response from Jackpoint was basically 'Correct. Now drop it.'
Title: Re: Washington question (from Toxic Alleys)
Post by: TonyK on <01-24-19/2200:09>
Quick thought - would Arlington be aspected in such a way to make it unattractive for shedim?  After all, it's a place that's been a (for lack of a better word) sacred ground for the US/UCAS for two centuries.
Title: Re: Washington question (from Toxic Alleys)
Post by: Beta on <01-25-19/1004:41>
Quick thought - would Arlington be aspected in such a way to make it unattractive for shedim?  After all, it's a place that's been a (for lack of a better word) sacred ground for the US/UCAS for two centuries.

If it was, they apparently got over it?  It is clearly stated that it is a warren of Shedim.
Title: Re: Washington question (from Toxic Alleys)
Post by: Reaver on <01-28-19/2213:26>
Quick thought - would Arlington be aspected in such a way to make it unattractive for shedim?  After all, it's a place that's been a (for lack of a better word) sacred ground for the US/UCAS for two centuries.

That's not really the way it works, sadly.

Arlington may be held in high regard by Americans, but all that would do is give the area a feeling of respect, remorse, sadness and gratitude. Nothing that would stop a Shedim. For that you need an astral ward - and even then they could just break through it if they so choose to (provided they had the strength).


If you go back a bit in time, when the Shedim first started becoming a problem, the recommendation was for the cremation of the dead to prevent Shedim from gaining hosts and thus die out due to Evanescence.... Well you know how well that went over.