During some downtime whilst in Junyan, Amanti, Bachariel, and Fanna travel back to the Eastern Shengdu Temple to catch-up.
Characters Interacted With
Donovan?: Publicly declared himself to not be Donovan again. Has great interest in finding out what “Donovan” was like from other people. Trying to walk again.
Guiying: Gave Donovan mobility assistance.
Yao Lufei: Assisted his son with trying to walk. Trying to process his son rejecting both him and himself.
Mei: Present when everyone was observing Donovan’s health.
Michael: Present when everyone was observing Donovan’s health.
Nadyn: Asked Amanti what went down between Donovan and Louisa. Mulling over apologizing to Mei.
Other Characters Mentioned: Louisa, Anahe
Locations
- Eastern Shengdu Temple
Session Overview
Donovan’s Test
The session began with Bachariel and Fanna discussing the magitech phone prototype Bachariel previously had been working on, before Donovan’s health took a turn for the worse with Lauran’s appearance. Fanna offered their illusion magic for assistance, while Amanti observed. Eventually, the topic returns to Donovan’s current state, where Bachariel stated that he didn’t think there was any way for the party to help him at this point, and that his issues seemed above the party’s paygrade and skill levels. In the end, Bachariel’s magitech phone was still stuck in it’s prototyping phase for the foreseeable future, as with Donovan’s downturn in health, Bachariel didn’t really have anyone else he could bounce ideas off of.
Once Bachariel decides to take a break, the party wanders into the rear temple courtyard. There, Guiying was talking with Donovan’s father. Mei was sitting on some nearby flower beds observing, and Michael was busy tending to a large incense holder. Guiying was explaining to Yao Lufei how his son had shown some improvement after Fanna talked to him and played their music, showing interest in interacting with the world again, including staring outside his window into the courtyard. His mood’s improved enough that they were thinking of bringing him into the courtyard to try and gauge how well he was recovering from his physical injuries, but they wanted Yao’s permission first, which he gave.
Guiying went to Michael and discussed something with him in High Tongue. Then, the two summoned Amanti over, pointing to the incense sticks in the incense holder and asking him to light it. He was unable to on the first try, but with some help from Bachariel, he was able to use a Ki technique to light the incense. The Guiying and Michael thanked him for his help, and Michael turned back to complete a prayer for Donovan’s health.
Guiying then fetched Donovan and wheeled him in a wheelchair. He still was very physically disfigured, but he seemed much more alert and actually bothered looking around and observing his surroundings. Guiying and Michael set up two horizontal beams on the courtyard stone, spaced shoulder length apart and waist high, for Donovan to walk along. After Guiying explained what they had brought him out here for, she helped him get out of the wheelchair and led him to the beams. He was able to grab a hold of them in both his hands and shuffled forward.
Everyone observed in silence as Donovan tried taking a few steps, using the beams as handrails, before settling into a mix of hopping, sliding, and dragging his bad leg through the path in the beams. At one point, he stumbled and started falling, but his father ran forward and grabbed him. Slowly, he looked up at Yao and stared at him for a few seconds. Then he said to him, “You’re Donovan’s father, right?” Yao replied that indeed, he was “your” father. At this, Donovan frowned, and said that couldn’t be right, as Donovan had died. When Yao asked him what he was talking about, Donovan insisted that Donovan had died at the Taochuan fair, before breaking away from Yao. Yao, in shock, did not try to stop Donovan, and stepped back from the beams without saying a word.
Donovan tried continuing further, but fell again, this time with no one to stop his fall. Fanna and Bachariel discussed getting Donovan some kind of mobility aid, before running up to him. As Fanna helped him up, Donovan stared at Fanna similarly to how he did to Yao, and then asked Fanna what Donovan was like, since they “knew him well.” Fanna sensed this was an important decision, and said how Donovan was an incredibly determined person, closed off, kinder than most people, and someone who just wanted to leave his mark on the world.
Bachariel and Fanna asked Donovan if he’d like a mobility aid of some kind, like a cane. Donovan seemed to stop and think, before saying that he felt like he couldn’t confidently accept or reject the proposal. He felt that Donovan, while being stubborn and not wanting the cane, would recognize that it would help him recover quickly all the same. He then turned to Bachariel and asked him the same question he asked Yao and Fanna. Bachariel admitted that while he didn’t spend much time with Donovan, he saw him as a likeable person, who was a smart kid with interesting ideas and obsessed with making it out there in the world.
Donovan, seemingly satisfied with Bachariel’s answer, turned to continue trying to walk, but ended up falling again hard, this time on his face. When Fanna ran over to him and asked him if he was okay, he slowly turned his head, where blood was coming from his nose. He slowly got up and wiped the blood, smearing some of it on his face. Having seen enough, Mei, Guiying, and Michael ran to him to grab him, saying that he’d done a good job and that he didn’t need to continue trying to walk.
Once again, Donovan fixed his gaze on someone, this time Mei, asking her what Donovan was like, seeing as she knew him well. After thinking it over, Mei said that he was very hardworking, sometimes detrimentally so, and very passionate about his studies. Donovan asked her what his studies were, and as she explained, everyone heard a yell from Michael as the plant constructs burst out of the Bag of Holding he was safeguarding. They ran up to him, circling him and making whine-like beeps. Donovan asked what they were, and the party and NPCs explained to him that they were the plant constructs Donovan had invested his life into making. Michael went to grab them and put them back in the Bag of Holding, but Donovan stopped him, saying that he wanted to observe them. Michael looked like he wanted to say something, before going “Very well” and left them be. In the end, Donovan was wheeled back towards the infirmary, the plant constructs following him.
What Happened Between Louisa and Donovan
At some point, Nadyn approached Amanti in the courtyard, looking upset. He told Amanti how he had met with Louisa the night before, as Louisa had promised to meet with him again and ask how he thought Amanti was doing as a father. In the end, he did tell her that he thought Amanti was at least trying, and he wasn’t a total lost cause. However, during the meeting he also found out that Louisa had suffered some health issues of her own, the bullet wound in her abdomen from Donovan’s gun making it so she was struggling to eat solid foods. When Nadyn pressed her about where the injury came from, she had told him how it was Donovan that had shot her, distressing him greatly. He wanted the truth of what had happened between Donovan and Louisa, and was tired of the lies.
Amanti, after taking a deep breath, told Nadyn that the things Louisa had said were true, but that there was more to it. Louisa and Donovan had some irreconcilable differences over the machines he was creating, with Louisa only seeing the bad in them, without regard for if they could be used for good, and Donovan only seeing the good in them, without regard for if they could be used for bad. In the end, things unfortunately became heated, and people were hurt because of it. He still hoped the best for both of them.
Nadyn took a minute to process what his father had told him, but was grateful that he told him the truth. He didn’t realize how much vitriol was shared between his mom and Donovan, and wasn’t sure what to think now, but he still wanted to be back with his mother again. Now that he had gotten an answer from his father, he started preparing for a walk him and Anahe were gonna go on, and departed.
Apology?
At a later time, Bachariel, Fanna, and Amanti approached Nadyn, who was sitting in the rear courtyard. After asking how he was, they brought up how it’s been a little bit since Donovan’s health problems fully boiled over, and he seems to be not on the total verge of death now. Since Mei was still deeply involved with Donovan’s health, on account of the Binding Vow, and Nadyn’s actions led to the Binding Vow being created in the first place, the party was wondering if Nadyn ever thought of going of to her and officially apologizing for what he’s done. Nadyn admitted that he’s maybe thought about it once or twice, and Michael said it would be good for him, but he’s been too nervous to do it so far. Still, he admitted both to himself and the party that it probably was a good idea, but he wasn’t sure how to go about doing it. The party gave him some suggestions on how he could phrase it, which Nadyn seemed receptive to. He told the party he’d try and think about it, but he had to leave for a planned outing with Anahe and Michael. That conversation now had, the session ended there.
Key Learnings
- Donovan seems to have not completely given up on his life again. However, he seems to not regard himself as Donovan anymore.
- Nadyn said he’d try and think about apologizing to Mei.
Items Of Importance
None