In the wake of last session’s devastating events, the party checks in with the NPCs at the Eastern Shengdu Temple. Then, the party sees the aftermath of Donovan’s excruciating transformation and just how much damage it’s done to him.
Characters Interacted With
Lauran: Appeared to the party in their dreams again, left Fanna a single gold coin after they asked for money.
Plant Constructs: Followed the party around, appeared confused about where Donovan was. Accompanied his father after he showed up.
Yao Lufei: Talked with the party. Seems resigned to the idea his son will die soon. Played the erhu for the plant constructs.
Mei: Chatted with Brooks. Very exhausted and unable to get the disturbing images of Donovan out of her head. Still hates Nadyn.
Nadyn: Had an awkward conversation with Amanti. Later went out to lunch with him.
Jinli: Was given a disguise kit from Fanna. Very excited to experiment with it.
Iskra: Served Amanti and Nadyn at the restaurant, gave them an index card for an Organization for the Promotion of Yumalyan Culture.
Michael: Explained Donovan’s deteriorated condition to the party. Asked the party if they could donate some of their essences to heal him.
Donovan: His appearance isn’t the same as it used to be. Something is wrong with his mind.
Other Characters Mentioned: General Durand, Master Hua, Guiying
Locations
- Eastern Shengdu Temple
- Ljubica and Iskra’s Restaurant
- Master Hua’s Demiplane
- Caochuan Fair (mentioned)
Session Overview
In a brief intermission before the session started, a scene of General Durand making an important phone call to someone surnamed Donaurkos was narrated. The general instructed the man on the other line to steal firewood from a neighboring border Lingguoren village if he had to, despite the man’s protests mentioning a High Elf, in order to have enough fuel to burn bodies. He also told the other man to tell a “Dr. Howl” he had his eternal thanks and that he’d try to supply him with whatever he needs, before hanging up.
After the events of last session, the party uneasily went to bed. They found themselves meeting Lauran in their dreams once again, in a more casual appearance, his hair let out of his ponytail and fully in Lingguoren robes. He bowed to the party and greeted them. When the party asked what he wanted, he admitted he was curious to see their reactions to what had transpired. Fanna stated how he mutilated a man, while Lauran argued what happened to Donovan would’ve happened in the end anyway. He was also confident he could fix him if he was allowed. As Fanna and Lauran bantered, Fanna expressed a desire for money, to which Lauran replied “Consider it done” before snapping his fingers. Lauran also asked Fanna if they were genuinely happy with the party, which Fanna asserted they were. Pleased, Lauran seemed glad to hear this, and expressed regret that Fanna wasn’t able to flourish under his care, but still thought their creation was fruitful to his studies nonetheless. Lauran also mentioned how his studies were coming along well. When Fanna questioned how Lauran was receiving funding or resources for his studies, Lauran acknowledged this hassle. He believed both him and Donovan were familiar with the reality of researchers not having much flexibility when it came to their funding sources. In addition, he considered Donovan a “genius” and that it was a shame he’d received so much harassment for work. Moreover, he noted how since the star that tracks Donovan’s lifespan has disappeared, the gods have stopped concerning themselves with if he lives or not. Speaking from experience as a High Elf, he said that Donovan and Mei’s fates might not have good endings if this were the case. The conversation reached its natural end, and after blocking an attempt from Fanna to kick him in the head, Lauran bid the party farewell.
The party woke up the next day. Fanna, after feeling something hard under their pillow, found a single gold coin. Everyone realized the plant constructs had opened the door into the room and were looking at them. They lead the party into the infirmary, where they seemed to be looking or gesturing towards the bed. Amanti cast Speak with Plants on them, and opened his senses to the Spiritual energy inside them, where he was just able to make out through the noise that the constructs were confused on where their master had gone. He could also sense a very old Spirit’s presence inside the plant constructs, like an old antique at a thrift market—not the shiniest, coolest, or most efficient, but has witnessed a lot in their time. From the plant construct’s body language, the party tried having Fanna lay on the bed, but this seemed to rile them up further.
Soon, Yao Lufei came shuffling down the hallway into the room. The plant constructs ran over to him and circled him as he sat down. He appeared quite tired, and regarded the constructs with a mix of mild amusement and dismissal. Amanti was able to hear the plant construct’s voices note that Mr. Lufei had a similar scent to their master. Mr. Lufei asked the party if they knew anything about how his son ended up the way he did, but the party, not wanting to expose the complicated truth of Donovan’s “death”, said they weren’t as sure either. Sighing, Mr. Lufei reminisced on his birth and how he was the only one of his and his late wife’s children to survive past infancy, before commenting on how he’d have to pay expenses to have his body sent back to Lidong. In the end, he thanked the party anyway, and the party let him be with the plant constructs.
Going out into the rear courtyard, the party saw Mei laying by an artificial waterfall under a tree. Amanti went up to her to try and strike conversation, but she was clearly very unhappy to see him and expressed a desire not to talk to him. Amanti turned to Brooks, who reluctantly went forward. He sat down with Mei and apologized for his fellow party member’s social skills, saying it was something they still needed to work on. Surprised, Mei asked if Brooks had just been silently tolerating their party members the entire time, to which Brooks said yes. She asked further why he was still staying with them, and Brooks said he wasn’t really sure either, but they were the best companions he had right now. Brooks’ honesty shocked Mei enough that she started opening up, admitting that she wasn’t able to rest or meditate because images of Donovan’s suffering kept flashing her mind. She also talked about how since the Binding Vow meant that if her or Donovan died, the other would as well, it was hard for her to feel motivated when she could drop dead at any minute. She asked Brooks if he’s seen Nadyn around lately, and he answered he hadn’t. Mei was glad at this—She never wanted to see him again. Finally, Mei mentioned how she knew now she shouldn’t have made the Binding Vow, and that Yinghua was right in saying that when she first told her. Brooks expressed sympathy for Mei’s plight, and said that although he was having a rough time reacting to the previous events, he was aware that it wasn’t equal to what she was going through. Mei seemed grateful for this. She asked Brooks if he could make sure she was buried in somewhere pretty if she did end up dying soon, and Brooks said he’d do his best. Having said all that she could think of, and exhausted beyond belief, she laid down on her side, and wished Brooks good luck.
As this was happening, Fanna prepared tea and retrieved some Chinese almond cookies for Mei. They set them down by Mei. Looking up from her spot on the rocks, she thanked Fanna for the tea. Fanna asked why Mei joined The Atracidae, to which she answered that she wanted to do something with her life. Fanna started bringing up how they’ve always respected Druids and wanted to learn how to have such a close connection with nature. Mei, still worn out, told them they could find a mentor or read some introductory books. Fanna took this cue and wished her well, leaving her alone to go back to the others.
Brooks and Fanna went back to Amanti, who had been pacing around the entire time they were talking with her. Fanna asked how he was doing, and he expressed how he felt lost, and that whenever he found joy in his life, it’d just be ripped away from him. Fanna told him how he still had a chance to go talk to his son. Amanti said was aware, and he was trying to figure out what to say. After thinking things over some more, Amanti finally worked up the nerve to go to Nadyn’s room.
He knocked on the door, and after twenty seconds, Nadyn opened the door. His hair was messy, and his face looked hollow, with dark circles under his eyes. When he spoke, he seemed very tired, even bored in a way. Amanti started talking about how he was there for Nadyn if he needed it, that he loved him, that he was sorry. Nadyn tiredly replied back that he loved him too, before glancing out into the hall like he was expecting something else to happen. Amanti continued, saying how everything that happened wasn’t Nadyn’s fault. After Amanti rolled his Persuasion check, Nadyn stopped, his face unclear as he thought Amanti’s words over. He then said out loud that everything that happened after he killed Donovan did seem to be out of his control, and seemed to be convinced. Moving on, he brought up how Amanti yelled at Louisa during last session’s confrontation with her, something he was still upset over. Amanti replied that he was worried he could’ve been killed by the protesters. Nadyn seemed unconvinced, questioning if Amanti was sure they would’ve targeted him. Frustrated, he finally laid out what he realized the issue was: Amanti seemed more wrapped up with the idea he had in his head of Nadyn versus the real him in front of him. Acknowledging what his son said, Amanti asked what he could do for Nadyn in turn. He asked if Amanti had brought anything for him, or even had an idea of how they could spend time together. Amanti admitted he hadn’t, but that they could go out for lunch later. Nadyn seemed to accept this proposal, and the two agreed to meet up at noon for lunch.
As Amanti came back from talking with Nadyn, Fanna offered to try and use Scrying to find his other son. Amanti declined. Fanna went to check on Donovan’s father and the plant constructs, but found they weren’t in the infirmary. They then saw him outside with an erhu, the plant constructs seated around him as he played. Wanting to show their appreciation, Fanna tried playing along with their lute, but Mr. Lufei paused his playing and stared at them. Fanna stopped and switched to asking about the instrument, admitting how they’d just been using their fiddle for a while, and they didn’t know how to play the erhu. Mr. Lufei beckoned them out to the courtyard and started instructing them on how to play. On their first try, Fanna was able to successfully play a tune, garnering what seemed to be approval from Mr. Lufei. Around the courtyard, a few monks, along with Mei had gathered around, and her and Mr. Lufei exchanged the faintest of nods. Fanna asked if she played any instruments, and she answered that she’s dabbled with the kalimba and pipa, but has felt more that she just pushes her fingers against the tongs then really “playing” anything. Happy to witness this scene, and noting how calm and focused Mr. Lufei seemed to be for once, Fanna and the rest of the party enjoyed the music, with Fanna stopping to make a sketch of Donovan’s father playing the erhu for everyone at some point.
The party gathered together again. All the major NPCs besides Michael, Master Hua, Guiying, and Donovan were talked to, but they were unable to be reached at the moment. Remembering Jinli, they sought him out, and found him near the entrance of the temple, where all of the statues and images of Lingguoren deities were. He seemed amicable and chatted with the party happily. He also proudly announced how he was feeling better, and whatever Michael did seemed to help him a lot, which the party was happy to hear. He also asked if the party had seen Michael at all, and they answered they had not. Jinli mentioned he wanted to ask Michael what he should do next to help him and Big Brother Koi Spirit progress in their Spiritual abilities, but that he could wait. Fanna then got out their disguise kit and gave it to Jinli, saying that maybe he could use it, seeing as they didn’t have a need for it. Excited, Jinli opened the box immediately and thanked Fanna, saying that he’d start practicing right away.
Later, Amanti and Nadyn met up for lunch. The two went to the restaurant/inn that Ljubica and Iskra had opened in Shengdu. Iskra greeted them, happy to see them again after a while, and brought them to their tables. Amanti ordered a nostalgic home cooked meal, and Nadyn ordered a light soup. As him and his son talked, Nadyn expressed that the place seemed familiar, and it reminded him of a stall promoting a Yumalyan culture group at the Caochuan Fair that he had wanted to see. Amanti suggested he ask Iskra about it, and when she returned to check on him, started talking, before Nadyn butted in and said he could do it himself. Iskra confirmed she had volunteered at that stall for a couple hours one day, and that they had left a poster advertising themselves on one of the restaurant walls. After grabbing an index card off the wall for Nadyn and Amanti, she said how the group met monthly, and was planning an event for the upcoming Festival of the Wind and Sky in the Ginkgo Tree Park. Satisfied, Nadyn thanked her, and Amanti and his son enjoyed the rest of their lunch.
Several more days passed by, and the party still didn’t catch sight of Michael, Master Hua, or Guiying. Finally, one day when the party went out into the courtyard, they saw Michael sitting on some steps taking out a cigarette, his waistcoat tied around his waist. They walked over to him and said hello, asking how things have been. As they got close, they noticed how tired he looked, smelling metallic and bloody, and that there were still a couple splatters of blood on his arms he hadn’t washed off. Michael got straight to the point, explaining how Donovan’s body was permanently changed now, essentially being half plant. The state he was in was “not pretty” and one of the worst he’s seen in a long time. Elaborating further, Michael said how the amount of rot in Donovan’s body had actually gone down, but this was because of how much flesh the plants had destroyed, both healthy and unhealthy. In the meantime, he’d been put in a magical sleep.
Thinking over this, Fanna asked to confirm that this meant Donovan would live. Michael said that he could, but this “living” could him being stuck in a coma for the rest of his life. He added in that ordinarily, for someone with a fate as bad as Donovan’s, he’d recommend putting them out of their misery, but since he promised Mei he wouldn’t kill him, and on account of the Binding Vow linking their lifespans, he has not done so. In addition, he made sure to not tell Master Hua or Guiying the truth of Donovan’s “death.”
At one point, the topic of Lauran offering to help fix Donovan came up. Michael became very serious, and asked if he had approached the party offering any deals. Fanna pulled out the gold coin that Lauran had given them. Michael snatched it from their hands and examined it, saying how he noticed the faint trace of Lauran on it. Fanna asked if Michael would be able to track him down from the coin, and Michael answered that he could try, but knowing someone like Lauran, he’s likely implemented tons of anti-tracking measures. He sternly reiterated to Fanna to never accept any deals with Lauran, before handing the coin back to them.
He brought up one more major thing regarding Donovan’s health: HIs soul/essence was incredibly weak, both from the extreme damage of the unraveling and his soul basically being tethered by Mei’s. Together, him and the others theorized if his soul received essence from an external source, it’d help it regain its strength. With this, Michael formally asked the party if they’d consider donating some of theirs. In gameplay terms, this meant 4 levels total would have to be donated from the party, split amongst themselves as they wished. As the party thought about this, Michael stood up, and said he could show the party the situation to help them make their decision.
Together, everyone grabbed Michael’s hands as he teleported them to Master Hua’s demiplane. Master Hua and Guiying were seated, looking clearly exhausted and covered in blood after working nonstop for the past several days. Mei was seated nearby, frowning and also looking tired. The party’s noses burned with the smell of herbs, minerals, incense, and sickness, and in front of them, on a raised slab of stone, was Donovan’s body. It was very still and stiff, and covered nearly head-to-toe in bandages, save for the right side, which was a mass of gnarled, tough, plant growths. His head laid askew, with the entire right side of his face gone. The left side of his face was the one area the party could see that still looked mostly normal, save for the raised blood vessels and discolored skin. His one good eye was closed—the area where his other eye should’ve been was occupied by a black, watery orb.
The party took in the disturbing image in front of them, before turning to each other and agreeing that they should do the essence donation. Michael walked forward again, and told them that if at any point they changed their minds, to give a shout. Then, he linked hands with them on one arm, and grabbed Donovan’s bandaged hand with the other. As he started chanting in Weavertongue, the party and Donovan’s bodies were surrounded in a white aura, and the party could see individual threads in The Weave reaching out from them to Donovan.
After some time, Michael stopped the chanting, and the ritual ended. Donovan’s eyelid twitched, before he slowly opened his eye. He weakly tried moving his head, a task rendered incredibly difficult by half his body being plant matter. Master Hua asked him some questions, trying to gauge his awareness, but he did not answer. Fanna, meanwhile, took out the drawing they had made of Donovan’s father playing the erhu, and placed it on the stone slab next to him. Seeing this, Donovan tried craning his head, slowly looking between Fanna and the drawing. Finally, everyone saw him move his lips, eventually managing to weakly ask where he was.
Fanna told him he was in Master Hua’s demiplane, and Master Hua himself came over and asked Donovan how he was feeling. Donovan, instead of answering, seemed puzzled by Master Hua calling him by the name “Donovan,” asking “Who am I?” Master Hua reiterated to him he was Donovan. The session ended as Donovan, through frail, faltering words, stated that he couldn’t be Donovan, as he had died.
Key Learnings
- General Durand, a man with the same surname as Amanti, and Lauran seemed to be connected in some way, possibly through a “side project” that required burning dead bodies.
- Most of the rot in Donovan’s body had gone down, but about half his body was now lost to the magical plants. His soul and essence were incredibly weak.
- As a result of the party donating some of their essence to help strengthen Donovan’s soul, they have lost 4 levels in total amongst them.
- Donovan claims he can’t be himself, as he had died.
Items Of Importance
- 1 gold (from Lauran)
- Sketch of Yao Lufei