Session 07

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The party attends MacLaughagan's Halloween party, and attempts to solve a murder.

## Characters

* The Party
* Naberius MacLaughagan
* Orias
* Willard Templeton
* Solveig Dahl
* Marjorie Sangster
* Pepper Brooke
* Tamson Jewel

## Summary

#### **Party Like There's No Tomorrow**

##### **Sunday, October 25th, 542:**

About a week ago, the party received invitations in the mail to MacLaughagan’s Hallow’s Eve Bash in celebration of the release of his latest novel. Formalwear and costumes are a requirement, so everyone (bar Sam) makes some effort to meet dress code.

**Saturday, October 31st, 542:**

The party is held at a penthouse address in the Toska District, and the party is entirely outclassed by the rest of the guests, so they get a few odd looks. The bouncer is a notable figure, taller than any person has a right to be. The building the doors open into is far too large to fit in the penthouse, and elaborately decorated. Nyx is dragged onto the dance floor by Kuno, while the rest of the party picks a spot on the wall and tries not to look too awkward.

Some time after most of the guests have arrived, MacLaughagan makes his entrance. He gives a short speech, welcoming everyone, which kicks the party into full swing. The demon also greets the party, and after hearing Sam's attempts to justify his lack of a costume provides the Revenant with an unsettlingly convincing vampire costume. MacLaughagan introduces the bouncer from before as Orias, a fellow demon who he is apparently very close to.

#### **It Would Be a Shame if Anything Were to Happen...**

The party continues for several hours. At one point, a young woman carrying drinks to the VIP door trips in front of the party. Sam helps her up, and she thanks him, saying something about Mr. Templeton. Nyx gets dragged back onto the dance floor by a drunk young man, and subsequently trapped there. Eventually, Nyx makes her way back to the party, who have been resolutely spending time out of the crowd. MacLaughagan sticks his head out of the VIP door, asking the party for their help with something. He leads them out of the ballroom and reveals the murder in the VIP lounge: Willard Templeton, the head of the publishing company that released MacLaughagan's most recent book, is dead. The demon informs the party he was killed by poison in his wine and that everyone behind the VIP door is a suspect, before leaving to do damage control.

#### **Investigate (Almost) Everyone!**

The party proceeds to the tea room, where the suspects have been gathered. There are three people there: the young woman who spilled drinks earlier, an older woman, and a woman from the press. The young woman is sobbing, and apparently Templeton's secretary. Nyx approaches the woman from the press, who gives her name as Solveig Dahl. She says she's here mostly to document the spectacle. Kuno talks to the older woman, whom he recognizes as Marjorie Sangster, who was a popular musician several decades ago before scandal killed her career. Kuno asks about Templeton, and receives a less-than-glowing summation of his character. Sangster says he doesn't treat his authors well, and that he had been working to keep MacLaughagan's book from printing. Apparently, there have been people who have committed the murders exactly as described in the demon's previous books, and Templeton wasn't fond of encouraging murder. Sam comforts the younger woman, who eventually introduces herself as Pepper Brooke, and would have been the one to hand Templeton the wine.

With basic interviews completed, the party leaves the room. Dahl wants to know why, since they've been told to stay in the tea parlor, and Asa explains that there's been a crime and that they're looking into it. The party tries to gain access to the kitchen, but isn't successful. Brooke leaves the tea parlor while the part is in the hallway, saying that she saw Templeton die. She says she brought Templeton some wine, which was brought by the butler, and after drinking some he collapsed.

#### **Another One Bites the Dust**

Before the conversation can go any further, there is a scream from the tea parlor. The drunk young man Nyx danced with earlier is dead in the bathroom off the tea parlor, evidently of poison. His ID gives his name as Tampson Jewel. Dahl goes to call the police, but Sam talks her down, and she demands that if anything else happens she wants to document it. Dahl also says that Sangster left some time ago.

#### **Missing the Obvious**

Nyx and Kuno go on a search for Sangster, who doesn't respond to a text from Kuno. While they are in the hallway, they notice a small clown watching them. They make their way into the VIP lounge, which has been disturbed. The cocktail bar has been rummaged through, and Sangster is dead, stabbed in the back several times with an ice knife. Nyx and Kuno swing by the tea room to get the rest of the party, and they all go to look at the body. They don't get much out of the murder scene, other than that the stabbing started by Templeton's body. There is a small clown behind the bar, which ducks away. Suspicious, the party runs around chasing clowns for a bit, but that doesn't get them anywhere.

Kuno brings Dahl to look at the body, while Asa hangs out in the hallway, leaving Nyx and Sam in the tea room with Brooke. Brooke says she can see how someone would want to kill Templeton, since he was trying to keep MacLaughagan's book from being published, and they're at a party of the demon's biggest fans. Nyx tries to get a hand on Brooke, who is very nervous around Nyx, and Sam resorts to grabbing Brooke while apologizing. Nyx doesn't get anything particularly useful from reading Brooke's mind, and Dahl bursts into the room after hearing Brooke scream. Sam tries to explain, at which Dahl decides everyone is crazy and to call the police. The party manages to get her phone away, but Nyx and Kuno get shot in the process. Dahl kicks the party out of the room.

#### **Solving a Murder by Process of Elimination**

The kitchen staff come to investigate, one of whom makes a phone call. Asa asks for a first-aid kit, but doesn't receive one. Sam goes looking for other people in the building, and while he sees several other rooms none of them contain people. The party returns to the lounge, where there is nothing new, and then to the tea room. In the tea room lies Dahl's body, beaten to death with a fire poker.

At this point, MacLaughagan arrives. He says he's detained Brooke, who tried to leave with the rest of the guests, and is overall disappointed in the party's crime-solving abilities.

**Wednesday, November 4th, 542:**

The party has to spend the next few days in jail on suspicion of murder, but the police's investigation turns up Brooke's apron shoved down Sangster's throat, which is damning evidence, and the party is released.

## Quotes

**Nyx:** "You're telling me, you're the fucking bird who showed up in my goddamn apartment." | **MacLaughagan** (looming)**:** "In the flesh. Listen, I can't go around penning novels as a fucking *avian*."

**Asa** (about Mac)**:** "Does he not seem like the type to do charity work?"

**James:** "Justice never sleeps." | **Kellen:** "But food inspectors do!"

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