2026-03-14 16:38 - 21:26 PST, 2026-03-15 14:54 - 17:39 PST
Kaveh, Gabriela, and The Jackal followed warnings in a secret Banu Haqim code to the Sacramento Tower Bridge. Despite some initial friction, they clambered up to meet with another of the Blood.
“You said there was danger.”
“There is. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Razdan Sorya. The code of our founder compels me to also inform you that I am the Ductus of the Acolytes of Steel and Iron, a bearer of Caine’s sword. I am here because there is a matter of grave threat to our blood.”
Introducing herself as a member of the Sabbat was odd, as they tended to keep to band together and keep to themselves in order to avoid being hunted down by their own Clan. Though Razdan had good reason.
“Ur Shulgi’s agents have infiltrated this city, pouring in through old magic. They’ve no doubt been hired by the growing contenders here to take out the other. You naturally know where this will end.”
“Where can we find them.”
“I know where they’re coming from. But only together can we stop them.” “They use the old paths, old magic to traverse. They’ve had to, since the Mountain fell.”
“The Mountain stands, last I checked.”
“And when was that?” She…smiles. “Things have changed. The winds of our clan now flow aimless, as they did in the days of the first Revolt. Does it surprise you that the edifice of the old power has fallen?”
The Jackal was unwilling to aid, leaving the others to hunt down the agents. This led them to a new gazebo in Sutter Park, whence the agents flooded in through a magical pathway. Gabriela was able to point out the pocket of silence that hung over it, indicating the unseen presence of Banu Haqim. They all got into position, and Razdan began to dispel the magic. A warrior and a vizier attacked, but Kaveh and Gabriela managed to defend Razdan long enough for her to break the spell. The warrior escaped back to the other side of the path, leaving the three alone with the torpid body of the vizier, and a sarcophagus.
The area begins to swirl and shift. The warrior springs backwards. He says, in English: “Ur Shulgi shall not forgive this treason, childe of Valentin and childe of Zora!”
…And then the shadows fade. The three of them stand in the gazebo, with one torpid body, and the entire sarcophagus.
Razdan stands atop it, and smiles. “And so it is done.”
When asked, Razdan explained that the sarcophagus contained a descendant of Ur Shulgi, poisoned so that they would never awaken. She offered and was allowed to transport the sarcophagus, while Gabriela would take the body Unseen back to her car and then return shortly to transport the others to see Kabir. He needed to be informed of the night’s events, and also as he was the Eldest, it fell to him to judge the Sabbat Razdan, and the torpid vizier.
Gabriela drove them to a restaurant owned by a Banu Haqim businessman where Zora and Kabir were waiting for them. They explained what had happened, and Razdan made her case.
“Have you heard of the fate of Almut?” She questions.
Kabir raises an eyebrow. “What about it?”
“Ur Shulgi was not destroyed in the calamity. He and his most powerful, and most loyal, have retreated to another realm to continue their bloody work. They now operate through clandestine means, and gateways concealed as the ordinary. With the help of these two of the blood-” A nod to Kaveh and Gabriela. “One of these gates has been destroyed.” “Someone in this city contacted them, and took out contacts, no doubt to further the war here.” “Agents may still be on the loose-but now, they cannot retreat.”
Despite hesitation from the elders, Gabriela argued that the agents of Ur-Shulgi posed a far greater existential threat than a Sabbat pack.
“Yet you would hold your hand so close to the scorpion’s tail, expecting it not to strike?” “Scorpions, I should say.” Kabir glares at Kaveh.
“Say what you want about me defecting but if we’d rather destroy ourselves here and not team up to dispell this great evil then we might as well let the ur-shulgi do their job” “I believe our founder haqim asked for us not to slay those of our blood”
“The Eldest has the right.” Gabriela says to Kaveh. “But the clan has few allies these nights. In the face of such a threat, I don’t think we are at liberty to refuse help from those of the Blood.”
Kabir then went on to call Kaveh a disgrace, dragging the clan’s name through the mud, building weapons for terrorists. Zora held him from saying more, and agreed with Gabriela, they couldn’t afford further division. Then, Razdan made a proposal.
“The individual in the vessel, is a descendant of Ur-Shulgi. A very powerful sorcerer, but young. A Thaumaturgical venom is within his veins, keeping him in slumber. If woken, he could be a powerful ally against the disgraceful shadow of the Mountain. Allow me to hold onto his vessel, and I will do all I can to wake him. As a measure of good faith, I will even hold my pack outside of the cities boundaries until I prove my methods.”
“Are you insane? Loose a sorcerer of Ur-Shulgi onto this city, under your command?”
Zora interjects, “Primogen, what if the sorcerer remains under our tutelage, after his reawakening?”
Kabir relented under the condition that Razdan would hold her pack outside the cities, wake the sorcerer, and immediately turn them over to the Banu Haqim. It’d take time, but Razdan agreed. The captured agent was left in Zora and Kabir’s captivity, and everyone parted ways. As this was a clan matter, they’d keep it from any outsiders.
Except for Kaveh who caught Gabriela as she left. He needed a ride back. On the way, Gabriela asked Kaveh a few questions. Why he’d never learned Obfuscate (he didn’t have a particularly good excuse), and why he was so fixated on the Camarilla and the Anarchs. Then, she asked him why he’d strayed from the leadership of the Eldest.
“Very well” he pauses and leans a bit back in his seat “when I was a human, all I remember from it was being a slave…being beaten, whipped, and forced to work, my sire was the one that freed me from that life, and to him I owe him my full respect, even if we are on opposite sides…during my early days in Sacramento, back when the city was more like a town, I would make weapons for the camarilla, and I loved doing it, however as Sacramento grew so did the kindred community, and I saw more and more blood be shed, it started with kindred killing people to supply me blood, then kindreds began to attack one another, fighting to make sure they would get my attention first, the more weapons I made the more I saw them used for senseless violence, I saw many elders beat their kindreds into submission using my weapons, beating their kindred for no completing orders…and some even killing them, as my problems with the camarilla grew, I began looking at the camarilla and how they acted, I found that the banu elders kept ghouls, disregarding haqims law of protection, I saw them lie to others, I saw them blood bond kindred as punishment to force them into being loyal..i saw them beat many kindred of my generation into submission…loyalty isn’t guaranteed just for being an elder, neither is respect, it should be gained not forced, but the elders don’t care about that, one night I saw an elder, a 9th generation women beating their childe to death…” he pauses and his voice quivers slightly “she used my weapon, a weapon I crafted with me own two hands…she killed her childe, a person I used to know…she dragged her body and left her outside so that the sun would burn her away…there…was nothing I could do…the elders told me to keep my mouth shut or they would punished me and don v…I stayed thanks to the words of don valentin…but I had lost any respect for the camarilla that I had left…I fell into a great depression…and then a similar thing happened again” “…I ran away…I walked slowly towards my forge…I intended to walk until the sun rise came and burned me away…until I met a member of the anarchs…thanks to her I still remain on this earth…so that is why I left” he looks down at his feet, he braces and expects a condescending response back, your so weak kaveh…stuff like this happens all the time…you aren’t a trueee warrior
Gabriela recalls someone she used to know. “I see.” Then, after a pause, “That Anarch still around?”
kaveh nods his head “Yes…yes she is”
“That’s good.” She finally pulls up to the park and stops, unlocking the doors. She looks at Kaveh. “Stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll try but…no promises” he chuckles “stay safe out there and don’t go killing any humans, i know an officer that might go after you if ya did” kaveh opens the door and begins to step out
“You insult me,” she says simply, though not with much weight.
he walks out and waves as she drives away
Additional Notes from Sand
# ur-shulgi plotline
the local banu haqim and their antitribu tour guide bring the torpored vizier of ur-shulgi before kabir, slamming his body on the restaurant table.
According to Kabir's personal convictions, this does not constitute a masquerade violation if you work him with knife and fork afterward.
Unfortunately those convictions also forbid non-lethal out of sect interactions, so he is not happy finding his strongest warriors to be an antitribu, a war-profiteering blacksmith and a filthy sabbat lover.
He doesn't know the latter, but his blood pressure never lied to him.
To make matters worse, the seething primogen is informed that Ur-Shulgi and his fellowship were not destroyed in the calamity.
they merely left for the shadow realm summer vacation retreat while their grunts hold the gates concealed and the spy phones ready. someone in this city seems to have consulted their services, but the destruction of one of their gates will complicate their operations.
the couriers of bad news barely appease Kabir by convincing his handler to brainwash a captured young ur-shulgi bloodmage into joining the banu haqim.