DivineDetritusAMomentsRespite
Contents
This is a chapter in Book 2
Prev: Book 1 Finale: Wealth to Squalor
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Summary
NPCs
Alinfras
A human singer with great potential, robbed of her life by Baat Daculon. She rose again as a reluctantly vampire who defended the Library. She tipped you off to her whereabouts and Baat's usage of the base. Hawk drove a stake through her heart to finally free her.
Baat Daculon
Your first meeting with this flamboyant vampire took place in the Library. He planned to use it as his new base of operations, leading a horde of undead to infiltrate and control the Isle of the Sun. Instead, you sent him crying for his Mommy as he leapt through a window.
He and Sal'nessee used to date, apparently. He wants her back and will kill anyone who gets in the way, especially her new boyfriend Hawk.
Baba
The former coliseum champion, Baba is a big burly man with a big axe who wants to win the title back from Katt Rinpo, but Lord Trout won't give him the chance. So he decides to train Vegeta and let him win in his stead.
Councilman Vorre
This elected official is also the best prosecutor on The Isle of the Sun, as he's never lost a case. He investigates the death of the musician Denners, and comes to a startling conclusion: It must be the tiefling librarian, Denneri!
After an adventure in another dimension, Katt finds a dagger with the Vorre family crest near the point of sabotage.
Vorre plans to use the trial to catapult his reelection campaign, but instead he receives his first loss. You suspect he even rigged the jury but somehow they gave a Not Guilty verdict anyway.
Darius Kolphan
Darius is glad to be back on the Isle of the Sun, where his investigative skills shine. With a high-profile murder mystery already underway, Darius sees the trial as a power play by Councilman Vorre. Darius counters with Lord Trout, whom he knows is eager to embarrass the Councilman.
Denerri is brought to trial and Darius leads the defense, relying on you to as a special council. With your help, Denerri is found Not Guilty.
Denerri
Denerri is a tiefling with a deformed leg with an attention to detail. Sel Fey, head librarian on the Isle of the Sun, noticed his skill and took him as her mentor. He was given a paid vacation when the library closed for repairs.
His neighborhood was in the slums of the Isle but he found love and held onto his meager existence. He learned many of the tiefling women were abused and he went to the bar to confront the abuser: A world famous flutist named Denners! They traded words and almost traded fists before he was thrown out by security. A few days later Denerri became the most likely suspect in Denner's murder!
You were able to convince a jury to acquit him of any wrongdoing, and he was able to help you gain access to the largest library on the island. Baat Daculon had captured and corrupted his mentor and he hoped you could rescue her. You were unable to save her, but with her dying words she passed on the title of head librarian to him.
Denners
Denners was an elven flutist who did a lot of charity work on the Isle of the Sun. He was recently murdered, drained of his spirit and soul. Councilman Vorre accused Denerri of killing him and 3 other musicians, all killed in similar ways.
Denerri learned Denners liked to date downtrodden female tieflings and abuse them physically and mentally. This angered him so much he confronted the musician and almost attacked him before security ejected him.
Drianna
Melanie Mel has taken a liking to her fashion sense and brings her to the Isle of the Sun to continue her career and get noticed by one of the big name designers.
Katt Rinpo
Katt may be the only Catfolk person remaining in the world. She's dumb as a sack of bricks and she and her staff hit just as hard. She's the reigning champion of Lord Trout's coliseum for a reason.
Kolphanir
Kolphanir is a Lillend Azata forever bound to the Material Plane. She fashioned a home and began the Kolphan family, who build a manor around her beautiful garden.
She is forever chained to a large rock, and can only speak and understand Celestial. From the few of you who can speak to her she clearly wants her children to succeed.
Lord Trout
Lord Trout runs the largest coliseum on the Isle of the Sun. He's excited when Vegeta signs up to fight the champion, Katt Rinpo .
He decides to personally finance Denerri's legal defense, as it would be an easy way to discredit Councilman Vorre.
Melanie Mel
Melanie brought you to the Isle of the Sun as part of a marketing trip. She is capable of some ice magic, as a group of pirates learn the hard way.
When the jury began deliberating, you didn't see Melanie anywhere. So Fi snuck into the jury room to see Melanie there. The jury didn't notice either of them, and Melanie didn't notice Fi.
Red Guy
Vegeta sees a vision of a red-skinned humanoid promising him the power to defeat the coliseum champion, Katt Rinpo . Vegeta rejects the offer multiple times, even when she has him on the ropes!
Sal'nessee
A famous tiefling dancer on the Isle of the Sun, and directly sponsored by Melanie Mel. She used to date Baat Daculon, and grew to hate it.
Sel Fey
The former Head Librarian on the Isle of the Sun who trained Denerri. She specialized in the history of extraplanar evil outsiders. The library was under construction and she fell in love with the head foreman who turned out to be Baat Daculon. He proceeded to turn her undead as a way to better control the library.
Sheela Kolphan
An attractive aasimar, sister to Darius and Sigurd Kolphan. She calls Kolphanir her grandmama. She helped introduce you to the Isle of the Sun and joined your raid against the library full of the undead.
Sigurd Kolphan
This half Celestial dedicates himself to the cause of good. Kolphanir is his grandmother and Darius and Sheela are his siblings. He joined your assault against the undead in the library, using his whip and fire magic to attack the vampires. Doesn't like Nidri and other tieflings because racism.
June 25, 1236 AD
The party returns to Harvest Wharf, where Fleir experiences a sudden growth spurt. As they promised Shavanni, they visit Dakan manor to talk to Alexen, who is with his son Marxen.
Alexen isn't happy to hear about the Lucavan's return. He's further upset when he learns of a new group claiming to be Lucavan, as his memories of Sagittarius involved a Medusa Archer. He notes that the Kolphan family were doing research on outsiders, and may have more information on the Lucavan than he does.
When asked about Micel Verdantflame, he remarked Micel was a bit of a hermit, only concerned with magic and interplanar travel. He contacted Dakan after the Fifty Years War to learn about the nature of the Lucavan, and researching exotic materials that could be used against them.
Speaking of Micel, he is packing up his research laboratory. The Order is quite interested in his findings and has asked him to give a talk on it. The party asks if this speech will be made public, and he's briefly infuriated about the idea of the public attack his group. He does offer the party an invitation, though, and he's glad to purchase the sendrine they found in the cave. He notes the armor they've been carrying around is very volatile, and he's surprised it hasn't detonated yet. He doesn't recognize the symbol, just like Lord Dakan did not.
The party meets Melanie Mel in the sales department, comparing advertising slogans. As promised, Melanie will take them on a trip to the Isle of the Sun, where the Kolphan family lives. She mentions Sal'nessee will be there, as well.
Fi spends some time talking to Drianna before they head off. It turns out Drianna will also visit to show her new fashion line.
June 26, 1236 AD
The party begins its week long journey to the Isle of the Sun. Melanie describes some of the locations of interest on the island, including a great library, an entertainment district, and a judicial wing.
June 29, 1236 AD
On the third day of their voyage, Mel'anie hears something off the aft of the ship. Captain Limon rides a Dragon Turtle and his pirate army quickly board the ship!
Captain Limon tries to capture the nobles so he can ransom them later. Instead he gets delirious inside some fog, stunned from Vegeta's fist, and tumbles so poorly Vegeta knocks him out. The Dragon Turtle on the other hand is mostly unharmed and leaves once Captain Limon orders him too. The Captain gets away empty handed, but Melanie doesn't seem to care much.
July 3, 1236 AD
The party finally arrives on the Isle of the Sun. Melanie has already rented out a suite for them at the Kiss of Serenity, while she will stay in one of her houses. Driana will have a studio to herself to work on her upcoming fashion show.
The party takes this opportunity to split up and confuse the GM.
Entertainment District
Nidri and Hawk visit the entertainment district, nearby the coliseum. A variety of performers, some more savory than the others, travel around looking for patrons. There are aasimars but almost no tieflings, and the duo stick out like tourists. Eventually a female aasimar goes and greets them with a warm hello, offering to be their guide for the evening. It turns out the aasimar is Darius Kolphan's brother, Sheela. Nidri's pleased to hear Darius is still talking about her.
Hawk inquires about Sal'nessee and Sheela leads them to one of her concerts. The performance just ended, but the after party backstage just got started. She's glad Hawk is here, and offers a private concert for Hawk at the Kolphan estate. Hawk suggests they travel somewhere a bit more private for a short conversation, and she has the perfect spot.
Fighting Colosseum
Vegeta heads straight to the fighting Colosseum he's heard so much about. Lord Trout has the largest one, featuring the new champion Katt. She's taking on newcomers in an exhibition match. A revitalized (and slightly overweight) Lord Trout owns the largest fighting arena in the Isle of the Sun, and Vegeta watches the champion defeat 10 challengers without too much trouble.
A large axe wielding man sits next to Vegeta, grumbling about his glory days. Baba is the former champion whom Katt defeated. He's been aching for a rematch but Trout hasn't given him the opportunity. Vegeta duels with him for a bit and learns he used to be a lumberjack, and his greataxe swing is very powerful as he loses two matches. The training ground and the arena are both protected by a field that turns most damage nonlethal, and the victor can release the pain of the wounds inflicted.
Fi's Flora and Fauna Watch!
Fi learns that most of the natural land is owned by the upper class or requires special membership. Eventually she is drawn to the public beaches found near the garbage dump and sewer systems. Realizing laws are for the weak, Fi and Fleir sneak off onto the tropical forests owned by the elite. He even finds one more temperate forest.
In the forest, Fi finds a woman resting atop a rock, seemingly chained to it. After asking if she's alright, the woman rises, revealing a pair of feathery wings and a large serpentine tail. She tries to talk to Fi, but her voice sounds like a collection of bird whistles. She then whistles at Fleir, who barks back at her.
July 4, 1236 AD
Hawk stumbles back to the inn, drowsy. He stayed up all night with Sal'nessee preparing a song based on redemption. He has enough time to point out that Fi was on the Kolphan Family estate before going to bed. The party decides to travel to the estate and discover the mystery of the chained Lillend once Hawk wakes up.
Vegeta heads to Trout's Colosseum after making some preparations. He signs up for a one on one fight between himself and the champion, Katt and learns it will be the marquee event. On his way out he is accosted by a man who offers him enough power to defeat Katt, but Vegeta adamantly refuses. Trout is disappointed when he hears about the offer- wrestling and corruption go hand in hand sometimes.
Now refreshed, the team heads to the Kolphan estate. They use a combination of distraction and stealth to make their way towards the Estate forest. Sheela and Darius introduce their elder brother, Sigurd. He's not too happy about Darius dating another Fellblood and excuses himself. Hawk sings a song to distract Darius and Sheela while Claire catches up with Vegeta, Fi and Fleir.
According to Kolphanir, outsiders on the Material Plane are normalized and eventually go insane. Some outsiders turned themselves into relics and left their fate in the hands of mortals. Prolonged exposure leaves them incomplete. She thinks the Mels have been very close to evil outsiders, but their efforts seem genuine.
The party asks her about Sendrine. She remembers the history of the sorceress who was weary of outsiders. Upon her death, she merged with the island and the island seemingly disintegrated. Perhaps remains of the island are sensitive to outsiders.
Hawk stops singing, giving Nidri, Darius and Sheela a chance to meet Kolphanir. She is quite excited to see Nidri and Hawk in the flesh, as she's heard so much about them from Darius and Sal'nessee, respectively.
Nidri starts asking about the Lucavan, and Kolphanir mentions their goal: to raise their leader, Lucave. Apparently he tried to rise early on during the Wailing War but was quickly defeated and banished. Nidri suspects that he has recruited a new band of evil outsiders to his beck and call.
Darius returns to his murder investigation. 3 Local musicians to the Isle have been killed in the last week, all victims of energy drain. Councilman Vorre is personally investigating the murders.
Evening at Trout's Colosseum
Vegeta is ready to fight Katt Rinpo, the Colosseum champ. Sigurd is there as well, harassed by horny groupies. Baba's pissed; he's trying to enjoy the show and watch the champion lose.
Vegeta is ready to face the champion and claim his 10,000 gp prize. A Catfolk woman with an athletic build steps into the ring, and Vegeta fights the champion, Katt.
It looks like Vegeta has a chance as he quickly swats her quarterstaff aside, but she promptly grapples, pins, and pummels him with her fists. Suddenly she releases her hold on him and begins rambling nonsensically. Just as confusion sets in, a flash of light blinds everyone and Vegeta and Katt are teleported to places unknown!
Nidri quickly rounds up the party (embarrassing Sigurd Kolphan in the process) and decide to investigate the portal. Darius promises to investigate the portal from the outside.
Corrupted Colloseum
The party steps into the portal and is brought to a maze full of white and gray bricks. Skeleton duelists, brutal minotaurs and cunning werewolves patrol the rooms, looking for more victims. An always heard but never seen audience cheers for more bloodshed.
Fi's instincts lead them to one room separated by a wall full of arrow slits. The other side should be shooting them but they are distracted by Vegeta and Katt. The party reunites soon after dispatching the fiends. Katt presents the party with something she found when they first entered, a pure white dagger with a family crest. Nidri thinks it is enhcanted with holy magic, and Hawk recognizes it as a Vorre family crest.
Fi is able to lead the party to a large sand pit which she believes is the exit. Above the pit is a fiendish minotaur and his werewolf mate, ready for blood. A voice booms from above, ready for the two groups to attack each other. He seems annoyed with the disruption the party have brought, and with how lax his lackeys have been in eliminating them. He also thinks the party has a master, and is willing to return them to him if they defeat the minotaur/werewolf duo. A mechanical golden skull floats into the arena and harass the party, but they overcome all challenges and are victorious.
The disembodied voice opens a portal, telling them to go home and tell their master to stop dumping unwanted trash in his home. He has more important things to do, like find a fool and some zircon. As they return to the coloseum, Lord Trout announces that the arena is closed, pending the investigation.
Glad to see the group is alive, Darius offers them a good night's rest at the Kolphan estate.
July 5, 1236 AD
The party takes the Kolphan's offer to sleep at their estate. The morning agenda includes Hawk visiting Sal'nessee, and Darius visiting Councilman Vorre's announcement about a string of murders related to popular musicians. Darius knows they were all victims of energy drain, in their bedrooms at nighttime. For Councilman Vorre to personally involve himself, he must have found a suspect and expects to make a big win that will propel his reelection campaign.
At the Court of Justice, Councilman Vorre hosts a huge press conference to announce that he's found a suspect. He believes a tiefling named Denarri is responsible for killing 4 popular musicians in the last month, including an elven flutist by the name of Denners. He plans to personally prosecute him.
Darius is surprised by all of this, and wants to investigate. He knows tact is required to sweet talk the right officials into granting him the access he needs. Darius decides to talk to the public prosecutor, while the party travels to Denerri's home.
Heavenly Refuge (Morning - Lunchtime)
The party goes to Denneri's home and meet Sal'nessee there, trying to keep the residents' spirits up. Last night five tieflings were taken into custody, and four returned. Upon meeting Denerri's girlfriend in their home, they learn more about his involvement with Denners.
While Denners may be known for his charity work, some say he's an abuser of tiefling women. He picks women up from the "Down n Dirty", a less reputable bar that is times more like a brothel. Denneri stormed the bar a few days before Denners's death to confront the musician about his treatment. They almost came to blows before the guards threw them out. He wrote an angry letter in his journal, threatening physical violence. "Good thing they kept me away from him...I was so angry at him. I would have beat him half to death with a barstool if I had a chance!" He never spoke about this event to his girlfriend. Perhaps he feared she would conclude he had an affair with one of the patrons.
The rest of Denerri's journal talks about his time at the library and recent discoveries working with the head librarian, Sel Fey. Her specialty was in the history of evil extraplanar outsiders. She had discovered a relic that would be effective against them, but the research was interrupted by a surprise building inspection that revealed several violations. The library had to be shut down while the Dacuul Nocturnal Construction Company began repairs to bring the library up to code. At least a wealthy benefactor paid for the repairs.
It's almost lunchtime, and Sal'nessee offers them food at the "Giggling Boar". She mentions that she knows some of the women Denners met, and can bring them to see one of them afterwards.
Terexia lives in a homeless shelter, still recovering from her wounds. Hawk and Nidri do manage to get her to talk, and she has plenty to say about Denners. He picked her up at the "Down n Dirty", promising an exciting career. He led her home, paralyzed her and began cutting surface wounds with a knife. He made his hatred of tieflings known to her before she lost consciousness, and she awoke not far from a priest of Laniss who was traveling through the neighborhood. She's never met Denerri before, but if he did kill Denners then he should be lauded as a hero.
Judicial District (Afternoon)
The team meets again with Darius in the Judicial District after lunch. He was able to convince the Public Defender to not take a plea deal. He suspects she will be beaten by Councilman Vorre without a significantly strong case. The party mentions the information they found, and everyone suspects there is foul play. Darius plans to learn more about the musicians, while the party talks to Denerri. After bribing a bored guard, the party finds Denerri in a cell. One of his feet is overgrown and cloven, and he uses it to balance his much weaker, skinny leg.
To Denerri, no one cares about the Heavenly Refuge - often dubbed Heavenly Refuse, it's where the rich go to exploit the poor. Normally it's for prostitution, but Denners was especially violent to the women he chose. Denerri finally stormed in one night to confront him before the bouncers threw both men out. He admits he didn't have much of a plan and is in no physical condition to actually fight. But he saved a life that day, and for that he's proud.
Sel Fey, head librarian, sought him for his ability to learn and his appetite for research. Both are interested in extraplanar entities, and had discovered materials that outsiders were vulnerable to. Towns that were untouched during the great war must have had some grand protection. As they were coming to a discovery, a surprise inspection shut down the library. Denerri finds the repairmen suspicious, as most of them are pale-skinned. Sel Fey was infatuated with the head foreman, and he taught her some lessons with the lute. Denerri knows a ferry man who will take them to the library, but only at nighttime.
Entertainment District (Evening)
As the party approaches the docks to meet the ferryman, they are assaulted by thieves. An elf, an aasimar and two pale-skinned humans. Vegeta realizes they are no mere thieves, they're out for blood. The two pale skinned humans are particularly troublesome, as one of them hurls a fireball before disappearing in a cloud of smoke while the other one leaves bruises that seem to drain the energy from Vegeta and Sal'nessee.
Eventually the enemy is defeated. The elf is flat out killed by Sal'nessee's haunting spirits, while the aasimar is KOed by Vegeta. One of the creatures turns into a cloud and slowly floats toward the coast, while the other one is no where to be seen. They find a note left behind, written in blood. It warns them that the library is overrun by the undead, and they need to bring silver and magical weapons to survive. It is signed by Alinfras, one of the musicians that was killed recently.
Exhausted from their battle, the party decides to retreat to the Kolphan residence for the night and regroup.
July 6, 1236 AD
The next morning has its own share of surprises. It turns out Lord Trout is personally financing Denerri's defense fund. Darius motivated him to help Denerri and take down Vorre. Even Katt wants to help, (although she isn't good at it). The party spends their time buying silver and magic equipment. Darius runs around looking for holy water from the various temples.
Sheela dedicates a toast to friendship, and Sigurd feels certain they will destroy the vampires in the Library.
Visiting the docks again, they meet a hooded Ferryman who accepts Denerri's letter. He takes them onto his small tugboat, and sails across the sea toward the library. He warns them of rumors of the undead infesting the library, about one month ago. He thinks they are led by a charming musician, who managed to charm the library's owner, Sel Fey. He also suggests that the party splits so that two of them find an alternate route, but acknowledges that no one ever listens to him. The last time he saw Sel Fey was a week ago.
Library Port
The tugboat docks and is immediately attacked. Undead fiends try to board the ship, and one still living human is scarred witless by Nidri's intimidation. Sheela summons a leopard while Sal'nessee flies off the ship to intercept some of the undead. Sigurd's longsword bursts with flame as he uses combinations of magic and might to dispatch foes.
In the end, the party captures the human and keeps him unconscious on the tugboat. They then discuss their next move. Following the ferryman's advice, Sal'nessee and Sheela head off to the back loading bay to investigate in their own direction while the party heads for a frontal assault.
Front Door
After breaking down the front door, the party sees a drow maiden hiding behind a bookcase. The headless suits of armor at the doorway come to life and scream a terrifying howl, causing Nidri and Fleir to flee back to the boat. The result of the party manage to hold their ground with varying degrees of success. The dullahans are destroyed and the drow is burnt to a crisp. Claire notices some of the bookcases were designed to collapse on anyone who pulled the tripwires.
The party briefly considers going through a storage room, but decide the element of surprise is already lost and they may as well continue to the Main Hall.
Main Hall
The party spends the next 10 minutes fighting their way through minor undead like skeletons, zombies and some weak vampire spawn before reaching an ominous doorway. Beyond the door is pitch black, although the party can hear the shambling of the undead. Those with Darkvision first see a fleet of undead, but soon realize some of them were disguised. Vampire Spawns and creepy experienced Ghouls walk among them.
But ti turns out these are just distractions for something far worse. Two vampires are using some kind of artillery to project negative energy on our heroes - it eats away at their will to live, and empowers the undead to fight on! One of the creepy ghouls is defeated before it poses too much of a threat, but the other one manages to paralyze Claire and Sigurd!
Nidri flies to the back of the room and uses holy water to disable the weaponry. Hawk's arrow of light gives Vegeta the sight he needs to fight off the vampires hiding in the darkness. Fleir is grabbed by a black tentacles trap along the way, but eventually frees herself. Vegeta destroys the weapons so they can't be used again.
After some recovery, Sigurd offers some protection from evil to Vegeta and Fleir. The leader is on top floor.
Top Floor
A beautiful set of wooden doors with the plaque "Sel Fey, head librarian" mark the entrance to the top floor of the library. Vegeta's keen ears pick up some kind of chanting and cheering. It's clear the next confrontation will be the most difficult...
Many vampires lay in worship of their leader, Baat Daculon. Alinfras is also there, reluctantly bowing down to him. He seems full of himself, and knows Sal'nessee by name. He orders his vampires to corrupt the intruders. Alinfras seems to subvert the orders to the best of her ability, starting with nonlethal measures and then "accidentally" catching two vampires in a fireball blast.
During the fight, Sal'nessee and Sheela emerge from a hidden entrance. Baat is excited to see the tiefling, while she isn't glad to see one of her ex boyfriends. With their aid, the fight turns in their favor. Thanks to Nidri's holy water (some of which splashes on Sal'nessee, who isn't happy about that) and Fleir's teeth, Baat is reduced to a pile of mist. He smashes through the window, instructing Alinfras to slow them down. She responds by directing the party to the subbasement, where the vampire coffins lie.
Nidri decides to follow Baat's mist for as long as she can, to see where he goes. He flies over the sea before diving into it. She notes a few small deserted islands, then returns to the top floor.
Sel Fey, head librarian is chained to the wall, clearly bitten and turned into a vampire. She tells the party to find her will; Denerri is now the head librarian. She is glad to hear Baat Daculon was defeated, and Hawk uses a stake to release her from undeath. After slaying Alinfras, he weeps bitterly, promising to write the last song Baat will ever hear. While the library is cleared, Nidri worries they lost all of their eyewitnesses.
The Ferryman has heard rumors of an underwater village of merfolk who live near the island, so the party suspects they may have picked up Baat's mist.
July 7, 1236 AD
Midnight at the Isle of the Sun
The Ferryman sails the party back to the island. Sal'nessee bids the group a good night while she delivers the prisoner. Darius Kolphan is in his nightwear but he's glad to see the party alive. He is saddened by the passing of Sel Fey and Alinfras, he has some good news. The Councilman is panicking and wants to start the murder trial as soon as possible. Lord Trout managed to get access to a few important witnesses. Plus Baat's motives and methods line up with what the Coroner found. Darius thinks they now have a chance, although they have to overturn public opinion.
Morning
Darius Kolphan thinks Denerri's trial will start by the afternoon, although he can stall for time if needed. He wants the party to join as special council and help him find clues, question witnesses and generate a good argument. He wants to ensure Denerri's innocence, but if the evidence is correct, they may be able to expose Councilman Vorre's suspicion. Hawk and Sal'nessee return from an early morning walk.
Their first stop is Meger Brightstar, Coroner. He shows two of the victims' bodies (Denners and Duren) and mentions the other two bodies were requested by their families (Alinfras and Graki- both vampires the party and Kolphans had slain.) The party got the coroner's report and Nidri was able to confirm energy drain as Duren and Denners's cause of death. She noticed Duren was wounded heavily, like a struggle took place, while Denners was mostly unmolested. Nidri takes the coroner's report, then suggests they talk to Graki and Alinfras's families to learn about the bodies.
Graki's family is a middle-class half-elven family. They don't remember requesting Graki's body. Alinfras's family is very reluctant to speak of her, and reveal why. They did request the body and received it, putting it in a private mausoleum. A few days afterward something broke down the doors from the inside and fled the mansion. Embarrassed, the family did not report the theft. Darius is disgusted, but hides it well. The head of the house, Sir Aldin, refers the party to a private investigator they hired to track the theft. The investigator claimed she revived herself, broke down the door and then fled. The head of the house considered the story ridiculous and fired him immediately. When the party visits Detective Zed, he has no idea what they're talking about (and also claims client confidentiality.) Considering him a dead end, the party visits the prison to speak to Denerri.
Denerri's cell is under heavy guard. He seems rather upbeat, considering the difficulty of his case. Hawk decides to break the news of Sel Fey's passing, as well as her wishes for him to lead the library. He thanks the party for their help, and thanks Sal'nessee for showing up.
The party sits down for lunch to discuss their game plan.
Afternoon
The Court of the Sword is ready for the trial of the century. Lord Trout, Katt and the Kolphans are in the public crowd, watching the case unfold. Melanie and Drianna are there as well. Eventually the judge arrives and starts the trial.
For their opening statements, Darius argues Denerri's kindness and physical limits would prevent him from ever injuring or killing someone. Councilman Vorre warns the jury against Denerri's tricks and illusions.
The defense calls the coroner, Meger Brightstar as their first witness. Hawk examines, and the coroner confirms all four victims died from energy drain, but he does note the various physical injuries on each person. Hawk then presents a textbook definition of vampires, what they can do and how the wounds are similar to vampire bites. Vorre asks if a needle could have caused the wounds, but Brightstar doubles down on vampire neck bites. He does note that Denners is not wounded at all, however.
Councilman Vorre calls Denerri to the stand. He presents books that could be used for heinous rituals and asserts Denerri brought them home for some nefarious purpose. Darius cross examines him and points out that Denerri brings all kinds of books home from the library- sometimes he works after hours. Darius instructs him to read from his journal, in particular the encounter with Denners. Denerri's journal reveals that he didn't physically attack Denners, but he did save the life of a tiefling woman Denners had targeted.
The judge calls for a recess for dinner. The party goes to a private room and eats food there.
Evening
Emerging from their recess, the party continues Denerri's defense. They first call Denerri's girlfriend Bejaq to be a character witness. Darius calls upon her to note his innocence and nonviolence. The Councilman counters by producing ingredients Denerri brought home from the library. Ingredients that could be used to curse someone from afar.
To push on this angle, Vorre calls a paladin of Virton to the stand. Derrick Paragon describes a necromancer's attempt to drain his energy from afar using the books and ingredients Vorre showed. He also reads from Denerri's arrest report, stating that he had a similar necromantic aura around him, meaning he either performed a foul magic or he was in the presence of a great evil. Nidri takes the time to remind everyone of the vampire and undead infestation, which is a better explanation for the victim's wounds and his "taint of evil."
For closing arguments, Vorre argues that the overall story (Denerri used a dark ritual) makes sense, even if minor details are vague. Sal'nessee tells the jury that the prosecution didn't actually prove anything, and they want to punish an innocent man.
As the jury begins deliberation, Vorre breaks into a huge grin. The party notices Melanie is gone. They worry the jury is being tampered with, and Fi decides to sneak into the jury room. Sal'nessee decides to start a lap dance to distract everyone as Fi and Nidri leave. Fi sneaks into the jury room, and sees the jury deliberating fairly. Melanie is there, as well, although they don't notice her. Melanie doesn't notice Fi. The jury gives a verdict: Not guilty!
Vorre anger is at a fever pitch, but Denerri is excited for his freedom. The party escorts him and his girlfriend back home, and Sal'nessee offers to guard their apartment. Denerri wants to show the party the research he and Sel Fey worked on.
Nighttime
Back at the Kolphan Estate, the party discusses their next move. They suspect Vorre was trying some kind of manipulation. Now they are worried about his retaliation, but Darius mentions Lord Trout will keep him quite busy. Denner's death doesn't fit, but Denerri didn't do it and that's what is important. The party decides to talk to Velgin and track down Baat.
Once the Kolphan retire for the night, Fi mentions what he saw in the jury room.
GM Comments
How long was this chapter?
We started this section in April. I wanted an exploration of the island, an introduction to the extended Kolphan family, and a little more metaplot. I also wanted to loosen the railroad a bit and give more freedom. I think I gave too much freedom, to the point where people didn't know what to do.
Library
After getting feedback that this was too freeform, I turned the next dungeon into a "choose your own encounters" dungeon. I tried to make the route you take give buffs to your foes, but it was hard to justify. At least I was able to mix up the encounters.
Trial
I wanted an opportunity to use more skill checks than combat, and give the party a chance to influence a crowd using arguments. Many party members have Diplomacy, some Knowledge skills, and good old deduction.
Too bad it makes walls of text that require you to stay on top of things. I had to write a lot to get arguments across.
