The party makes it back to the Eastern Shengdu Temple, talking again with familiar characters and witnessing the unfolding tensions among them.
Characters Interacted With
Master Hua: Busy trying to help Donovan recovery from his injuries. Furious after his monks allowed an adventuring party broke into the temple through their negligence.
Michael: Guarding the front gate of the Eastern Shengdu Temple. Interrogated the adventuring party that broke in. Tried reassuring an upset Donovan.
Jinli: Talked with Michael after the party introduced them to each other.
Donovan: His severe injuries have changed his appearance. Appears to have changed his demeanor as well.
Yao Lufei: Came down to Shengdu when he heard that his son’s life was in danger. Overheard arguing with said son.
Guiying: Answered Bachariel’s questions when it came to trying to help out and focus on Lauran.
Mei: Very upset. Sought reassurance and guidance from Bachariel. Seems to have calmed down for now.
Nadyn: Seen playing Chinese chess with Anahe.
Other Characters Mentioned: Lauran, Anahe
Locations
- Eastern Shengdu Temple
Session Overview
The session started with the party making their way to a side room in the Eastern Shengdu Temple, where Bachariel introduced himself to them. He explained how he was sent by his High Elven parents, who were otherwise absent for most of his life, to try and stop Lauran. He also said how he’d seen Donovan before at past academic conferences, where he was working on research that would be the precursor to his current plant construct project.
With Jinli standing around and not really doing anything, the party decided to introduce him to Michael first. As they walked, they witnessed a disheveled and very upset looking Mei walking through the temple halls. Michael was found busily pacing behind the row of state police preventing the protesters from entering the temple. He seemed receptive to Jinli, and after a quick introduction, led Jinli off to somewhere more private so he could help him with his Spiritual troubles.
The party walked back further into the temple. As they walked, Brooks realized his bag full of his belongings seemed heavier than before. When he looked in his bag he saw Donovan’s gun had been placed inside with a note in Thieves’ Cant. Inside, the note told Brooks to not let anyone else have the gun under any circumstances, before burning up after being read. The party then was interrupted by the plant constructs still in the Bag of Holding fighting to escape. Though the party tried to stop them, they ran to the infirmary doors and started pawing at them. Before the party could stop them, someone inside let the constructs in, and they promptly started running around the small room, much to Master Hua’s chagrin. Donovan was also inside, laying on the bed, alongside his father Yao Lufei.
As Master Hua tried calming the constructs down, Bachariel took the opportunity to introduce himself to what he thought was a friendly, familiar face. Instead, the party saw that the right side of his face, prominently on his cheek and eyebrow ridge, his skin was withered, taut and wrinkled like fingertips when submerged in water for too long. It was muddy and greying in most places, even scabbing in others. Underneath the bandages on his face, the party could see that some of his skin had outright turned black, the bandages an attempt to ameliorate the flesh that had died on his face. The disfigured skin continued down his neck, onto his chest, which was currently covered up by the white robes he was wearing, and appearing again on his right shoulder and upper arm. In his upper arm, where the party first saw the magical plants that had embedded themselves, the plants seemed to have fully integrated into his body, dipping in and out of his muscles like twisted, dark green veins, even reaching down to his wrist and fingertips despite the fact that no surface damage seemed visible to the skin there.
His right eye, too, seemed affected by the rot coursing through his body. It looked far too dull and even milky. As the color in his pupil had faded to lifeless grey, the only color left in his eye was the red veins in the edges and corners of the cornea.
Donovan, who’s voice was hoarse from the damage to his body and being in a coma for several days, did not brighten up at all upon seeing the party. After sourly asking if Bachariel was mocking him, Master Hua quickly ushered the party out and closed the door. After a moment, Donovan’s father came out and greeted the party, asking how they’d been and offering them a smoke. The party politely declined, and so Mr. Lufei went out back for a smoke break by himself. Bachariel, intent on still trying to help around, went to the back courtyard where Guiying was, and the party followed. Upon Bachariel eagerly trying to offer help and assistance with defeating Lauran, Guiying politely told him that they were rather busy at the moment with everything going on, and suggested Bachariel try and reconnect again when they were less busy. Bachariel said that he was fine with waiting, and continued to stand there. Guiying continued trying to be polite but firm, and finally the conversation reached an endpoint.
The party went back to the front of the temple to try and find Michael. They found Jinli alone in a room, munching on some rice crackers while holding onto the Elder Koi Spirit. He said how Michael assured him that he’d be able to help him, but that he was rather busy at the moment, so Jinli would have to wait. Eventually, the party found Michael had returned to his spot by the state police, pacing around once again. When Bachariel brought up Lauran, Michael frowned, saying how he didn’t know much about Lauran, but that he wanted nothing to do with him. Seemingly also another trail that had turned cold, the party didn’t pursue further.
The party also tried asking what was wrong with Donovan. Michael explained how Donovan’s soul was muddled, and the rot that was coursing through his body had damaged his flesh, and possibly even his vision in his right eye. The “essence” of Donovan that made him who he was was mixed in with other, non-Donovan essences, similar to the analogy of Orappilk Amanti’s Wildfire Spirit had used when the party asked it. Though he no longer was on the brink of death, Master Hua, Guiying, and Michael would have a lot of work ahead of them trying to heal him again. The presence of the magical plants Donovan had implanted in his body—seemingly as a way to improve his strength as his health deteriorated from stress—compounded things, as they were now strongly embedded amongst his flesh. Brooks then tried discreetly asking about Donovan’s gun, and Michael promptly told him how he had a note for Brooks, handing it to him. The note was also written in Thieves’ Cant, and told Brooks not to speak of this in public, before burning up as well. Michael merely smiled, and the party understood that they probably weren’t going to glean more much from him after that. They decided to walk off somewhere else to figure out their next action steps.
As they were walking, they saw a bunch of the monks/nuns running down the halls, exclaiming that some people had broken into the rear courtyard. The party immediately took up arms and went to confront the intruders. They found a group of adventurers similar to them, intent on making their way to Donovan. Amanti and Brooks were downed in the fight, prompting Bachariel to quickly carry them to safety and heal them. Several of the plant constructs later arrived and started attacking the intruders, scaring them and making them furious. Master Hua and Michael then arrived, followed by Michael’s Wolf Spirits, ending the intruders’ chances of overtaking the party. Master Hua uttered an incantation that instantly rendered most of the intruding party unconscious, save for one. As Master Hua stormed off to reprimand the monks/nuns for leaving the back gate unlocked, Michael interrogated the one still conscious intruder. She proclaimed how they were on their to try and put a stop to Donovan and his plant constructs once and for all, and that this setback wouldn’t deter everyone else from trying. Michael also snatched a crudely drawn map from her, detailing their plans. Not wanting to deal with her any more, Michael, with the help of the Wolf Spirits and Bachariel, threw the intruding party over the temple walls and out of sight.
Donovan and his father, whom he was leaning against for assistance walking, rounded the corner. Michael immediately ran too them, trying to turn them around and assure them everything was fine before they realized what happened, leaving the party by themselves again. There, Mei, still looking clearly upset and recently crying, peeked her head around the corner. Bachariel, having seen her before and knowing she needed support, started a conversation with her. She asked him for advice on what to do upon realizing the person she dedicated most of her life, energy, and emotions to protecting didn’t reciprocate her feelings. Bachariel comforted her, telling her that even if things didn’t work out, that didn’t mean there still wasn’t other things in life worth living for. He also told her that one shouldn’t sacrifice their own wellbeing for the sake of others, and sometimes one had to prioritize themselves over others when it was clear the situation was a lost clause. Exhausted, Mei collapsed into Bachariel’s arms and sobbed. Bachariel hugged her back, reassuring her that everything was okay.
Amanti and Brooks, deciding to try and get pillows for them and Mei to nap on, went to find a linen closet they could acquire them from. They found one across from the infirmary. As they were inside, they overheard Donovan and his father arguing in Anshanese. After hearing Mr. Lufei angrily telling his son that they were “leaving as soon as he could walk”, he left the infirmary. Donovan exited shortly after, and after spotting Brooks and hobbled up to him, asking him where his gun was. Remembering Michael’s warning, Brooks denied knowing where it was. Unsatisfied, Donovan turned to Amanti and asked the same thing, but he denied knowing where it was as well. Donovan growled, accusing Amanti of having it out for him, since his son (Nadyn) and wife (Louisa) both tried to kill him in the past. Amanti snapped back, yelling at him for having idiotic fantasies of Amanti trying to kill him.
Donovan went silent for a bit, before eerily laughing. He then turned to Brooks again, once again asking where his gun was. Brooks remained steadfast, saying he didn’t know where it was. Donovan snapped, pointing to the courtyard and yelling about how people were trying to kill him, and asking if Brooks wanted him to be defenseless and at the mercy of everyone else. Faced with concrete proof of Donovan’s shaky sanity, Brooks tried reassuring him that he could discuss with the others plans on upping security and moving him to a room further away from the crowds outside. Donovan went silent once more, before muttering “Forget it” and limping back into the infirmary.
Brooks and Amanti stared at each other, uncomfortable after what had just transpired. They then noticed Michael walking down the hallway and entering the infirmary. Seemingly having overheard Donovan’s argument with his father, he tried reassuring Donovan—He knew that Donovan had aspirations to use his knowledge to help his home village, and felt pressured by his father to not make everyone there look bad. He pointed out how Donovan didn’t have to listen to everything his father said, and that if he had listened to his family, he wouldn’t even be there at the moment. Urging Donovan to think about it, Michael left and went back to his post.
The session ended with Brooks and Amanti returning to Bachariel and Mei. After a stressful few hours, they decided to take a short rest, unsure of what was to come.
Key Learnings
- A crowd of protesters was at the entrance to the Eastern Shengdu Temple nonstop now.
- Brooks has been given Donovan’s gun, and instructed not to let anyone else have it under any circumstances.
- The aftereffects of the rot from Louisa’s Needle Dagger has left Donovan disfigured on his right side.
- Donovan’s soul was muddled, and a lot of work would be needed to both heal him Spiritually and physically.
Items Of Importance
- Donovan’s gun