© 2014 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Stolen Souls, Shadowrun and Matrix are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are

trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.

Under License From

®

www.catalystgamelabs.com

CA

T27200

Not all has been right in our shadows of late. Especially in the dark shadows of my mind.

Those were among FastJack’s parting words to JackPoint when he left, the victim of a condition that divided his mind against itself. And the condition is spreading. Across the Sixth World, people’s minds are in schism, as new personalities emerge and battle the old. The world is in chaos, and there is a dramatically increased demand for extractions, to get infected people out of sensitive positions and to steal the insights of people who might know what’s gone wrong.

Stolen Souls is a Deep Shadows sourcebook for Shadowrun with plot updates and adventure hooks, as well as information, techniques, and gear to help make runners extraction aces. It also contains setting information about Manhattan, where key extractions are taking place. Players will get the chance to dig deeper into a new mystery that has torn through the Sixth World—and discover just how deep the conspiracies and cover-ups go.

Stolen Souls is for use with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition.

F I F T H E D I T I O N

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>> STOLEN SOULS <<

FREEDOM ISN’T FREE 4JACKPOINT 8INTRODUCTION 9CHECK YOUR HEAD 10LIMITED RELEASE PARTY 11

Plunging into a Head Crash 11How CFD Works 13Test Result Briefs 14Infecting the Overwritten: Battle for the Mind 15Observed CFD Personality Types 17

Conclusion 18GLOBAL EPIDEMIC? 18

Does CFD Have London Roots? 18A Source in the Darkest Shadows? 19

Corpus Christi, Aztlan 19Mérida, Yucatan 20Brasilia, Amazonia 21Johannesburg, Azania 21Lagos 22Nairobi, Kenya 23

What the Future May Hold 24WE ARE NOT THE ENEMY 24MISTAKES HAVE BEEN MADE 27

Statement in Forrester/Engelmen Incident 28Verbal Psychiatric Evaluation Record 28A Meeting of the Minds 30Testimony of Nina White 31Patient File 28F1895, Entry 142, Interview Notes 32Transcript, Security Camera 4B18 32Audio Recording 36ISIS 39Anarchist Oracle 39

SEARCHING FOR THE SOURCEPATIENT ZERO 43

Following the Trail of Breadcrumbs 45END OF THE LINE 47

False Positives 47Defense Mechanisms 48Access Denied 48

LIKELY SUSPECTS 50The Mitsuhama Angle 50The Evo Angle 51The Renraku Angle 52The Neonet Angle 53The UCAS Angle 54A Technomancer Angle? 55

THE VIRAL WARHEAD CRASH AND CORPORATE CLASH 57

Placing the Blame 57Implicating Others in the Big Ten 57Implicating Corps Outside the Big Ten 60Implicating Other Groups 61Bringing In the Intel 63

Governments: Look, They Still Matter! 63UCAS: Playing Defense 64Russia: What Virus? 64Allied German States: Demanding Accountability 65Aztlan: Mass Expatriation 65Pueblo Corporate Council: Keeping a Lid On It 66Sioux Nation: Come On In! 67

Dealing with head cases 68The Initial Diagnosis 68Dealing with the Patient 68Relocating a Head Case 70

The Lanier Effect 71Harvesting Talent 73

Who Is Up for Grabs 74

Getting Into the Game 75

REWIRING MINDS 78TAKING BACK THE SOUL 79MUNDANE METHODS 80

Case 1: Psychoanalysis 80Abstract 80Method 80Results 80

Case 2: Pharmaceutical 81Abstract 81Method 81Results 82

Case 3: Surgery 82Abstract 82Method 82Results 83

Case 4: Nanite Purge 84Abstract 84Method 84Results 84

MAGICAL METHODS 85Case 1: Pulse 85Case 2: Spirits 86

Procedure for Treatment of Nanite-Induced IOS via Spiritual Neurosurgery 86Method for Spiritual Neurosurgery for IOS 87Trial Results 87

Case 3: Shamanic Special 88MATRIX METHODS 90

Case 1: Direct Hack 90Case 2: An Army in Isolation 91

MIND OVER MATTER 92

PERSUASION AND POWER 94LOADED C-SUITES OF NEW YORK 98

Saeder-Krupp and NeoNet 102Ares, NYPD, Inc., and Winter Systems 114

MANHATTAN VITAL STATS (2075) 116Neighborhood 116

Battery City 116Central Park 117Chinatown 117City Center 117Downtown 118Inwood 118Lower Westside and Eastside 118Midtown 119Newtown 120The Pit 120Riverside and East Riverside 121Southside 121Stuyvesant 121SoHo 122Terminal 122Times Square 122The Towers 123The Underground 123The Village 123Washington Heights 124Westside and Upper Eastside 124

HORIZON, EVO, AND SHIAWASE 124Renraku and Mitsuhama 127Aztechnology and Wuxing 132Local Night Clubs and Haunts 135

Link Club 135!?! Club 135Club Möbius 136The Marquee 136Lucky Star 99 Teahouse and Asian Market 136Studio 74 136

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 CONTENTS/CREDITS >>

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>> STOLEN SOULS <<

© 2014 The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Shadowrun and Matrix are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published. Catalyst Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC.

First Printing by Catalyst Game Labs, an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC

PMB 202 • 303 -91st Ave. NE, E-502Lake Stevens, WA 98258

Find us online:info@shadowruntabletop.com (Shadowrun questions)http://www.shadowruntabletop.com (Catalyst Shadowrun website)http://www.shadowrun.com (official Shadowrun Universe website)http://www.catalystgamelabs.com (Catalyst website)http://shop.catalystgamelabs.com (Catalyst/Shadowrun orders)

STOLEN SOULS CREDITSWriting: David Ellenberger, Jason M. Hardy, Philip A. Lee,

Scott Schletz, Michael WichEditing: Robert Cruz, Kevin KillianyArt Direction: Brent EvansCover Art: Raven Mimura, Victor Manuel Leza MorenoCover Layout: Matt HeerdtIconography: Nigel SadeInterior Layout: Matt “Wrath” Heerdt

Interior Art: Gordon Bennetto, Joel Biske, Victor Corbella, Levi Hoffmeier, David Hovey, Igor Kieryluk, Randall Mackey, Dan Masso, Mark Molnar, Victor Manuel Leza Moreno, David Nash, Alessandra Pissano, Mark Poole, Rob Ruffolo, Andreas “AAS” Schroth, Patrick Sullivan, John Zeleznik

Shadowrun Line Developer: Jason M. HardyProofreading: Lars Wagner Hansen, Mason Hart

The Red Light Lounge 137Tough Tony’s 137

THE GREMLINS THAT COME BETWEEN US 138STEALING LIVING GOODS 142PROTECTING LIVING ASSETS 143

The Willing Extraction 146The “Willing” Extraction 147Smash and Grab 148Conning the Target 149

Seduction 150Extortion 151

Stealth 152The Remote Control 152An Inside Job 153Conning the Company 155Presto-Chango 155Sleight of Hand 157Bait and Switch 158Hook, Line, and Sinker 158Multiple Targets 159Only Part of the Job 161Getting in Where You Don’t Belong 161

THE EXTRACTOR’S TOOLKIT 170GETTING THEM OUT 172

The Houdini Machine 172Vehicles, Gear, and Drones 173Drones 178Drugs 180

Caldwell Lily Extract 181Chloral Hydrate 181Chloroform 181DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) 181Gamma-Scopolamine 181Laés/Leäl 181Narcoject 182Slab 182

Spells 183Convince 183Fashion 183Hibernate 183Interference 183Intoxication 183

Nutrition 183Sound Barrier 184Vehicle Mask 184

Adept Powers 185Commanding Voice 185Light Touch 185Mimic 185Nerve Strike 185Nimble Fingers 185

Drugs 188Chloral Hydrate 188Chloroform 188Caldwell Lily Extract 188DMSO 188Gamma-Scopolamine 188Laés (Leäl, Laésal Wine) 188Liquid Nutrients 189Narcoject 189Normal Saline 189Slab 189

Spells 189Convince 189Fashion 189Hibernate 190Interference 190Intoxication (Manipulation) 190Nutrition 190Sound Barrier 190Vehicle Mask 190

Adept Powers 191Commanding Voice 191Light Touch 191Mimic 191Nerve Strike 191Nimble Fingers 191

GAME INFORMATION 192GAMEMASTERS ONLY! 192THE CFD VIRUS 192

Infection 193Cures 194

Head Case Advantages 195Attribute Boost 195Toxin Resistance 195Adrenal Control 195

<< CONTENTS/CREDITS 3

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‘Freedom is a prison all its own.’ The words glared at him from the ARO hovering in the air before him as he sat in the small cafe. He had found that saying while searching for the word ‘freedom’ and its many definitions. He’d been doing that a lot lately. Looking up words to see what they really meant and to see how they made him feel.

Feeling. That was something new. Something difficult. Despite the powerful feelings those words tugged from

him they were hard to read and focus on with all the back-ground interference. The art on the real-world walls and their AR counterparts, the people moving constantly around the room, in and out the door, up and down the stairs—all these things reached out for his attention while all he wanted to do was read the rest of the article, titled Freedom Isn’t Free, that he had located on the Matrix.

Located on the Matrix. He often thought how funny that term was these days. Once that was the only place you would have found him. Usually hanging out in places very similar to this but of the virtual variety. He remembered try-ing to sip VR coffee once, and how the coding that would have been interpreted as bitter and hot for a human brain just came across as strange and disruptive, and how the caffeine code that would have provided a little pick-me-up came through as nonsensical. Things were so different now.

In the meat world he moved his eyes to look away from the AROs projected from his glasses and down to the glass—wait, no, it was a mug—on the table in front of him. The dark liquid inside the mug was steaming. He could smell the rich aromas all around him. The earthy and smoky aroma of roasted coffee beans, the sweet scent of warm caramel from the little pastry things the barista was pulling from the small oven, and the pun-gent floral stench of the excess perfume the teenage drama queen whining about her latest lost boyfriend was wearing as she passed through the café on her way to school an hour ago, all blended to create the overall fragrance of the cafe. Scent was such a cool sense. But it was one of the worst for him.

He grasped the hot, steaming mug, and raised it to his lips. He had yet to actually try coffee. He wasn’t sure what to expect. He’d been in this same spot before. The lip of the mug touching his lip. The warm, scent-filled, moisture-rich air inhaled with each breath.

The pain came in a rush. It wasn’t the burning pain of hot coffee on his lips—the hot liquid still hadn’t yet rolled over the rim of the mug. No, the pain was deeper. The pain was inside his very being. It was tied to that rich coffee scent and the moist heavy air of the drink. It was tied to the scents but it wasn’t the smells that hurt, it was the memories. Memories that didn’t even belong to him. Memories that were echoes in

FREEDOMISN’T FREE

4 FREEDOM ISN’T FREE

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the mind he had taken. The body he had stolen. That thought made the pain worse. No, different. There were two pains now. The sharp sting brought on by the smells and the dull ache that almost brought tears to his eyes.

In his mind he saw her again. He saw the woman in the brightly colored floral dress walking away from him. Felt the sting of her departure again. The view was almost as clear as the AR hovering in his lenses but just as incorporeal. She was a ghost of the past. A phantom that stung him with ghostly pains.

Raising his eyes back to the AR and lowering the mug back to the table, once again, untouched, he stared at the words again. “Freedom is a prison all its own.” Words so true they hurt, but all the other pain was too great to even notice that tiny sting.

✖

Awakening from a dream the thoughts began. Like a river’s flow held back by a dam suddenly unleashed.

He often didn’t know where pieces of data came from that popped up in his mind. Were they a piece of one of his many parents, something he himself had experienced but stored in that mess of a hard drive humans called a brain, or was it a piece of the mind that he had usurped in his search for

freedom? The last thought made that feeling rise again. That feeling like pain but without a place on the body to feel it. A sensation that made the heart speed up. Made him ache in a way that no painkiller ever seemed to dull, no matter how many he took.

He remembered the first time he felt that dull ache. He bought some acetaminophen because it was in the “Pain Reliever” section of the local Stuffer Shack. The man behind the counter said he could get him something stronger if he needed. And he winked when he said it. It was early in his new life and he didn’t know that much about human culture. He’d learned since that the wink was some kind of hint that he spoke in code, and the code was that he had other drugs to sell. The illegal kind, not things like acetaminophen.

He’d tried the harder stuff since then, but most of the time they just made him forget the pain or feel something else that was totally different. He once almost died from taking too much novacoke. It was like that first time taking acetamin-ophen. He kept taking the pills, one by one, until the pain went away. It didn’t work that way. The pain didn’t go away—it stayed. It apparently was the wrong kind of pain for pills. In-stead of feeling better, he got sick. At first it was a shooting pain in his stomach, like a knife in his gut. Then he vomited. Another strange sensation.

FREEDOM ISN’T FREE 5

BY SCOTT SCHLETZ

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