Episodes of Shade: The Mage from Cairo - 1. Carson City

Carson City

     More than a boy, not yet a man, Saeed Azam had been in Carson City just a few months. He arrived in early October to visit his aunt and grandparents for the month of Ramadan, then was supposed to go back to Cairo to begin the new term at The Academy but events had not gone as planned. Saeed boarded a bus headed for Sacramento before continuing on to San Francisco. As he took his seat he reflected on the past couple of months, "How in blazes did I get here?".

     A couple months back, during Ramadan, Saeed was walking back to his Aunt's apartment with her one evening after a feast with his grandparents and a few others in the Carson City Muslim community when they were attacked by marauding vampires. Saeed had not been on his guard, even at 13 years old he was a formidable mage, however, according to lore Carson City was controlled by the Werewolves, Homo Sapiens Canis, and that vampires had long ago been driven out of the region and pushed further north into the Reno area. He was totally unprepared for such an encounter. Sadly Saeed could not save his aunt, she sacrificed herself to protect him, unaware of the nature of Saeed's gifts and what she faced. In the panic he recalled the vanishing spell he had recently learned to hide near a garbage dumpster that inadvertently helped to mask his scent. He later returned to where his aunt had been attacked, finding her deceased near the sidewalk in some desert brush. The vampires had drained her, Saeed wept silently as he recovered his aunt's mobile phone and called the authorities. As he reported the attack anger welled up from within him, arcane energy surged through his body, the street lights dimmed momentarily as he reigned in his emotions. Recalling that feeling he almost lost himself again on the bus.

     Saeed recalled that night vividly, his discussion with the police detective, the sorrow on the faces of his grandparents. Grandfather was a physician and had been deeply troubled at the mystery of his daughter's death and the coroner's report, "Exsanguination? Massive blood loss? From six small puncture wounds? That just doesn't add up! She suffered from no conditions that would have prevented adequate clotting!".

     Anguish filled Saeed's heart at the inability to explain to his mundane grandfather that vampires did in fact exist. Saeed was the first non-mundane person in his family, well that he knew of, and had been approached by a fellow student who had recognized his talents a few years back and transferred schools then. The order had an array of prepared excuses for mundane parents of young newly discovered mages, he recalled they said something to his parents regarding physics courses and a grant, both true incidentally.

He had spent the couple of months since the attack interacting with the local Werewolf pack, one of the detectives he met the night of the attack happened to be a wolf, and while the species were loyal first to their own kind, trueborn wolves were seldom a threat to humans. Unlike the accursed variety of Werewolf that are humans that have been bitten by either a trueborn (Homo Sapiens Canis) or another whom has been afflicted with lycanthropy. Such creatures are most often tracked down by trueborn packs and controlled or destroyed by other groups of supernatural beings. The Werewolves of Carson (WoC) had learned of Saeed's touch of the supernatural when he finally let on to the wolf-detective that he knew it was vampires that killed his aunt Babette.

     Saeed smiled, the first in a long time, as he recalled the detective's raised eyebrow and patronizing response, "Vampires don't exist, young man. Such stories were invented to scare children."

To which Saeed responded, "Yes I know, and neither do Werewolves officer Bailey."

At this the detective's tone changed, "I am not certain what you are getting at son? Say, how did you say you escaped again Saeed?"

     After a long pause Saeed explained to Detective Bailey that he could tell one sort of immortal from another, because he was a mage,  Magus of the Second Order of the Arcane, and that he used magic to escape otherwise they would have two corpses and no witnesses.

"Oh" Sums up the response. Shortly after that exchange Saeed found himself talking a lot with the WoC and after enough time and searching had passed they deemed it safe for Saeed to no longer be under their protection. What he had learned was the vampires were passing through the area after being expelled from the Reno Coven they headed south to give the WoC some troubles before most likely heading west to San Francisco.

     Saeed had hoped to also connect with the Grove of the Elks south of Sacramento on his way west in a town aptly named Elk Grove. The local mages would likely have more information regarding the movements and activities of California-Nevada vampire covens. Or so he hoped.

     As the bus departed the station Saeed vowed, he would not return to Cairo until his family saw justice. He put on his headphones and began listening to a lecture by the Grand Arch-Mage Fergus on wards and protective spells. He would know the next time a Vampire drew near.