VtM: Shards of Midnight Session 12 Report
General Summary
Previously on Shards of Midnight, the Varsity Vipers continued to look around the dilapidated temple in the Catacombs. Accompanied by the prideful and strange dragon, Irvegel, they were able to discover that Demonte had been camping out down there. What’s more, the temple had the particular architecture of the boarded off Astrian country Yiarah, which the only way it would have made it down there was if it was pushed through a mirror. Rhys was also able to identify the S.L.E. that Demonte went into: the one in Fianna. The High Priestess, Eithne Callahan, is responsible for the holy crusade that is currently ravaging the country. Rhys told the party that Eithne was her sire and was fascinated by the creation of archnihil and would have her go to the families that would have them and kill them in their cribs.
After that startling admission, the party goes to Harper’s estate to let him rest and to keep Irvegel there for the time being. Irvegel has no idea how he ended up in the coffin and has no recollection of the last few centuries. After Harper woke up, he admitted to sneaking off due to him looking for clues that would solidify his theory: that the person who killed all those S.L.E. the officers and commanders was not Matthieu, but Blackstock. This claim is mostly backed up by the timeline of Blackstock disappearing and his hatred for the S.L.E.. Jack, meanwhile, has finished Sage’s van but there is indeed no Sage to drive it. Jack is told to look after Irvegel while Cain and Harper travel with the party to the courtroom.
Within the courtroom the party meets a number of interesting characters. An Astrian Count, Soren Corviello, watches from the gallery with his niece Lorelei. Lorelei is quickly recognized as the girl that was retrieved when the Shrike was captured, supposedly living with her for the last eighteen years. Corviello, a man full of quiet wrath, offers the party some “discreet” jobs while Lorelei records the conversation in some kind of code regarding music notes. Meanwhile, Mildred takes interest in the judge’s bodyguard, who she quickly learns is the Witch of Ice named Orias. He is quickly fed up with her and tells her that if she doesn’t retrieve a happy memory, her curse will worsen. Though, he does say that either the witch Emil or the witch Marcia most likely did give her the curse.
The trial begins and Mihangel immediately indicts Raginolf as the culprit, which the Varsity Vipers defend. Jessamine Hyde, the head detective, is rather positive it was him due to the amount of blood and her thinking that if Marina was garotted only a strong enough person would be able to cut deep enough to make that big of a mess. The party argues back that her thinking is very stupid. After some bird shenanigans, Aldia talks to Lorelei to learn more about her during the recess. Lorelei admits that she recognizes Hilfred’s name and says that she heard it in regards to a bunch of people in red robes: a cult trying to resurrect the tyrant dragon Charon.
Mildred goes to talk to Simon and Rhys in their office, admitting her suspicion of Comstock and preferring to work with Alliaster instead. Simon also offers to give up the memories of a woman named Dominique, a person he has an issue with, but would take a long time to find her. A young officer named Ashe delivers Mildred lunch from Mr. A and the trial continues.
