| From: | Malcolm Shaw malhms@*********.com.au |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Ideas on Australia in Shadowrun |
| Date: | Sat, 04 Mar 2000 14:49:27 +1100 |
lately I have been thinking of writing a shadowrun story based in
Australia. This got me to thinking about the conditions in Australia
due to the awakening and I have written short description of what I
thought may have happened in Australia due to the awakening. I would
appreciate any comments and or suggestions, especially from Australian
based readers about the following:
Thoughts for Shadowrun in Australia
Cities:
Sydney - heavy population of Corps -very advanced Technology City - lots
of polluted areas especially Botany Bay. Main Industrial import/export
due to natural port/harbour
Brisbane - heavy Japanese settlement plus corps - holiday recreation
city for Japan - short flight for Japanese (Japan based) corps.
Perth -highly developed city - corps and Japanese but fringed with
highly active scrub/semi desert. This fringe area heavily populated with
Awakened critters and mana storms. North West Australia is aboriginal
territories but area where mines are still active have infestation of
polluted land spirits - spirits of the land that are affected by mans
rape of the land and generally are "angry" spirits - similar but not
identical to Toxic Spirits.
Darwin - Freeport - corps and high technology mixed with pirate and
smugglers, mainly Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Hobart: as a city Hobart underwent the greatest changes of all cities in
Australia. With to the awakening of magic due to the rise in mana
levels the island of Tasmania underwent rapid racial and ecological
changes. Dwarves became very prevalent among the births. Dwarves of all
skin colours, owing their heritage to aboriginal and European ancestry
became prevalent among the births. These dwarves were not the squat
hairy variety more frequently found in the Northern Hemisphere but
rather graceful, short human looking people with very little body hair,
apart from head hair which was luxurious in growth and condition. This
race of dwarves was not limited to Tasmania but rather the population
density was greatest in Tasmania. Tasmania saw great upheavals in the
ecology with land reverting back to wilderness even where man tried to
prevent it and tried to preserve the farms and clearings. Giant trees
and Awakened animals appeared, a larger variety of the Tasmanian Devil
appeared, having the basic characteristics of its smaller cousin.
Tasmanian Devil Gigantus, was the size of a small leopard and had a
ferocity unmatched by any creature of similar size. The Tasmanian Tiger
also reappeared, not only in Tasmania but, throughout the south eastern
parts of mainland Australia.
Melbourne: a city of parks and greenery changed gradually from a major
commerce centre to one that combined a unique blending of commerce and
nature. Ecological requirements and corporate demands exist side by
side dictated mainly by a combined aboriginal and white government
co-operative that became the precursor for the forming of the new
Federal Government in 2020. Two political houses formed in Victoria.
One, the parliament based on the Westminster model of the English, and
an upper house or Chamber of Elders, as it became called, formed of
elder - wise men and women, mainly of aboriginal ancestry but not
exclusively so. The main requirement for the people voted into the
Chamber of Elders were that:
a) they had no political or commercial affiliations,
b) had been part of the community for a long period (ie were over the
age of 50) and,
c) had demonstrated a deep love and knowledge of the land and its flora
and fauna.
The main day to day governing of the state was in the hands of its
parliament.
The Chamber of Elders had an overriding power of veto on any law that
affected the land and was a house of dispute where people and
corporation/business could present their needs or disagreements for
arbitration. Their decisions were binding and had the power of the law
equal to a Supreme Court decision (the highest court in the land). These
changes were directly attributed to the rise in population percentages
of Aboriginal people, and a green movement among the people of European
and Asian heritage that embraced the aboriginal belief in the land and
magic, that is the believe in the Dream Time of the aborigines.
History:
Pre 2010:
The Australian Government tried to be a peacemaker in the South Pacific
while trying to repair relations with its indigenous people. With
increasing health, the aboriginal race started to regain some of its
population lost due to the introduction of white man's diseases and
maltreatment by successive white governments
2010:
Vitas scoured the population of Australia but with surprisingly fewer
deaths among the aboriginal population, including those with part
aboriginal heritage. As a direct result the percentage of aboriginal and
part aboriginal population increased in all states especially in
Victoria, the Northern Territories and Queensland.
2015:
Heavy volcanic activity in other parts of the world were reflected in
Australia with what was thought to be an extinct volcano exploding in
Northern NSW, followed by two more in northern Queensland. Tectonic
pates shifted and mountain regions in Victoria, southern NSW and
Southern Queensland shifted upward and gained heights equivalent to the
Andes in South America. Mana storms appeared, predominantly in the
central areas and very active mana pockets formed in all states. The
sleeping serpent (a great Dragon) of the aboriginal Dreamtime awoke in
the region of Uluru (Ares Rock) and made his present known to the
aboriginal tribes of Central Australia. Exhorting them to regain their
links to the land, to reforge the bonds weakened by their scattering by,
and the influences of the white man.
2020:
The white dominated Federal government replaced by a balanced
aboriginal/white government. Mainly due to the increasing percentage of
population numbers of aboriginal and part aboriginal the parliamentary
system was reformed due to public demand and followed the pattern set by
the Government of Victoria.
Births of aboriginals increased in all states and among these births
were noted a random scattering of "new" aboriginals that prominent
anthropologist said were like the ancient people of the land. Bones and
other remains found in remote location in the middle to late 20th
century that suggested that these aboriginal people had lived in the
land from a time before the present day aboriginals. These bones were
found with remains of large varieties of the Kangaroo and the Wombat
together with bird bones suggestive of a flightless bird some 2 plus
meters in height.
2025:
New Zealand faced political upheavals due to its Maori population,
followed by Papua New Guinea and several of the South Pacific island
states stretching out to, but not including, the Philippines and
Hawaii. These sovereign nations joined with Australia to form a new
Pacific Commonwealth of nations with the Chamber of Elders of Federal
Australian becoming the new central body for the confederation known as
Pacifica. Delegates elected by each independent nation formed the
Chamber of Elders to oversee the land, sea and air of the South
Pacific. Rumours abounded about the DreamTime Serpent and its
involvement, and suggested demands, that the people of the region start
to care for the land in the manner of their ancient ancestors. The
people elected to the Chamber of Elders of Pacific were, in the
majority, Shamans and "Truthseers". (Ancient tribal elders that in ages
past guided the tribal chiefs in the lore and law of the tribe and when
disputes arose within the tribe gave the chiefs the "truth" of those
supplicants). Rumours in Shadowland and among the white populations of
the area were that the people of the region had experienced mystical and
exotic dreams in the days leading up to the elections of the Elders and
that these dreams were due to the DreamTime Serpent or its Shamans.
2030: an expedition of white and aboriginal anthropologist and zoologist
into the northern areas of South Australia found evidence of that the
Giant Wombat, Giant Kangaroo and a Giant bird (like the Moa of New
Zealand) had re-emerged. This evidence was supported by frequent
sightings of these giant animals in other states. The feral pig of the
outback grew larger and an awakend variety was found in the northern
areas of Queensland along with a larger and very dangerous awakened
variety of the Cassowary. The lyrebird of Victoria gave birth to an
awakened variety that not only could mimic any sound but also could emit
a paralysing shriek when threatened. This shriek would paralyse any
creature for up to one hour. The Dandenong ranges and the Grampians were
the main areas to find these lyrebirds.
Thanking any contributors in advance.
Malcolm
CAMP - Campaign against Mage Persecution
