Miami

Lore & Background

Miami in the Sixth World is a city transformed by the Awakening and the subsequent collapse of the old United States. The rising sea levels have flooded low-lying areas, creating a network of canals and submerged ruins, while the Everglades have become a primal, magical wilderness teeming with Awakened flora and fauna, including alligators the size of small cars and toxic shamans who worship the swamp. The city's economy is driven by its status as a free trade zone, making it a perfect nexus for smuggling operations, from illegal cyberware to magical artifacts. Megacorporations like Aztechnology, Saeder-Krupp, and Horizon maintain a heavy presence, their gleaming towers piercing the sky above the cramped, chaotic streets of Little Havana and the tourist traps of South Beach.

In Their Own Story

The air tasted of salt, exhaust, and cheap synth-booze. Kiko adjusted her goggles, the glow of a neon iguana reflecting in her lenses. Her fixer had said the meet was on a yacht in Biscayne Bay, but the coordinates led her to a half-sunken pier in the Glades' edge. A crocodile, its hide shimmering with a faint astral glow, watched from the murky water. Her commlink buzzed. 'Change of plans, chummer. The Johnson is in the swamp. Follow the lights.' She sighed, checking the clip in her Predator. Just another Tuesday in Miami.

Reader's Guide

Miami is a sprawling, dangerous sprawl that offers a unique blend of urban and wilderness shadowrunning. The city is divided into distinct zones: the corporate core of Downtown, with its sterile arcologies and high-tech security; the tourist-friendly but crime-ridden South Beach, where nightclubs and casinos hide black-market deals; and the flooded, lawless districts like the Glades, where runners might hunt for lost Aztec artifacts or fend off awakened alligators. The city's canals and waterways are a major thoroughfare, making boats and amphibious vehicles essential for quick escapes. Runners in Miami must navigate a web of corporate feuds, voodoo priestesses, and organized crime syndicates like the Mafia and the Yakuza, who vie for control of the smuggling routes. The constant threat of magical storms and the ever-encroaching Everglades make survival a daily gamble. Miami is a perfect setting for runs involving data heists, extraction, or smuggling, with the added twist of a volatile, awakened environment.

Did You Know?

• Miami's flooded districts are sometimes called the 'Venice of the Sixth World' by tourists, but locals know them as a haven for smugglers and toxic shamans.
• The Awakened Everglades are home to a rare species of mana-sensitive crocodile, prized by magical researchers for their unique astral signatures.
• Aztechnology maintains a major arcology in Miami, rumored to contain a hidden temple dedicated to blood magic rituals.
• The city's annual 'Sunshine Festival' is a major cover for corporate espionage and black-market trading, drawing shadowrunners from across the globe.