Denver

Lore & Background

Denver emerged from the chaos of the Awakening and the subsequent Ghost Dance Wars as a unique geopolitical entity. Following the Treaty of Denver—the formal agreement that established permanent zone divisions—Denver was divided into multiple zones, each governed by a different power: the Pueblo Corporate Council, the United Canadian and American States (UCAS), the Sioux Nation, and Aztlan. This division turned Denver into a patchwork of laws, cultures, and dangers, where a runner could cross from a high-tech corporate arcology into a magically-rich tribal territory within blocks.

In Their Own Story

The rain-slicked neon of the UCAS zone bled into the dusty, adobe-lined streets of the Pueblo sector. Kestrel, a street shaman with a cybernetic eye, watched a Lone Star patrol drone hover at the invisible border, its sensors scanning for contraband. She clutched a datachip containing a corporate executive's darkest secrets, knowing that in Denver, the truth was just another currency—and the border was the only line that mattered. A stray dog sniffed at a puddle of glowing runoff, and she wondered if the drone would follow her into the Pueblo zone, where Lone Star had no jurisdiction but the local shamans had far worse.

Reader's Guide

Denver is a sprawling urban battleground where shadowrunners thrive. The city is divided into sovereign zones, each with its own laws, enforcers, and opportunities. The UCAS sector offers high-tech corporate sprawls and heavy security, while the Pueblo Council zone is steeped in Native American traditions and magic. The Sioux territory is more rural and tribal, and the corporate enclaves are fortress-like arcologies. This fragmentation makes Denver a prime location for smuggling, espionage, and shadowruns that require navigating multiple jurisdictions. It's a place where alliances shift as quickly as the weather, and where a runner's reputation can be made or broken by knowing which zone to trust.

Did You Know?

• The city is a key location for the 'Denver: The City of Shadows' sourcebook, which details its complex politics.
• The Pueblo Corporate Council zone is one of the few places where Native American magic and governance are openly dominant.