Session 17

Pre Session Things

• Previous Session Review
• Review Spirit and Ki Mechanics (pinned in dnd-chat)
• Review Virtue and Flaws
• Review D&D ettiquette:
  I as the DM during combat often have to manage and keep track of several different things in my head at the same time, such as talking about my current action while actively thinking about my next action and having to remember the HP of the combatants, often on little food or sleep, so please be patient with me if I make minor mistakes or forgot something. If you clown on me for something that has little consequence in the end like saying one thing when I clearly meant another, or for something that I don't have control over, like how the mechanics are dictated in D&D, then I will get pissed off. Related, if I feel no one is having fun and respecting each other, I will also choose to end the session. Thank you.
• Ask anyone if they would like to do anything before I start the session at the entrance to the colosseum

 

Colosseum Entrance

The party starts off gathered a little ways away from the side entrance used for special situations and appointments. Thien's parents are still with them, and the party sees as a stone-faced Nadyn approaches from the side with his hands firmly stuck in his pockets.   He walks up to the party and asks them if it's alright if he sits the fight out. From the way Donovan was talking, it seemed like the Lingguo government itself was highly interested in his work, and if so, it's likely that there will be a few government officials present inside. If he decides to stick with the party, he'll mostly be quiet and stick to himself, trying to hide with Thien and his parents. If he doesn't, he says he'll be waiting back here in a couple hours, before departing.   The party notices a few guards in front of a large garage door, along with a set of double doors to the side of it. The guard by the door checks the party to see if they have an appointment. When they see Thien's parents, they say that they were only expecting 4 people, with a speical note for 5 if Amanti's son decided to show up.   The party can try to convince the guard to let Thien's parents through, either through persuasion or asking to see Donovan himself. Otherwise, Thien's parents will accept that they cannot go in, and let the party do their business--They will sneak in through another entrance later. If Thien's parents leave, Nadyn will also leave, unless the party can successfully convince him to stay and that he'll be fine without trying to blend in with Thien's parents.   An official will appear and personally escort the party through the colosseum lobby, then into another set of double doors, which lead down some stairs and further into an elevator. The elevator descends into the lower levels of the colosseum, which contain the arenas for training, sparring, and specialized fights, such as the one the party is preparing for.   The hallways have the same ambience as the upper level, though with a slightly darkier, stuffier ambience due to being underground. The official leads the party down a series of hallways and turns, before finally entering another set of double doors.  

Inside the Arena

The arena's base structure is similar to the one Laseen's fight was in. However, instead of being circular, the battlefield is a rectangular (175 x 100 ft.), influencing the surrounding architecture. The seats, and atmosphere as a whole, are structured like those one may find at an indoor sports arena (soccer, hockey) arena. Thin, magical glass panes surround the battlefield, protecting those in the seats from any stray attacks. The seating options closest to the battlefield are simple bleachers, while those further back are actual seats.   The party walks in and sees a group of Donovan's coworkers milling about in the spectator's area. They all turn and greet the party.

• Dayanghirang - Tiefling with medium-dark skin, shaggy pink hair that covers one of his red eyes, and one horn, the other is chipped, presumably lost in an accident.
• Yuvi - Short half-elf with tan skin, shoulder-length olive messy, layered hair.
• Joanna - Halfling with lightly tanned skin and curly dirty blonde hair, usually tied up in the back. Sometimes wears glasses.

Joanna notices them first, and excitedly shouts and waves at them. Daya murmurs that the party looks familiar, before remembering that he saw them at the science fair, while Yuvi looks at them thoughtfully. Joanna asks the party how things have been. Daya chips and mentions that he's glad to see that they're alright, since they helped Donovan out at the fair. Yuvi asks how so--Donovan told her that he knew the party, but that they only had come to check out his presentation. Daya explains how when Donovan was injured, the party helped carry him at the medical tent. Yuvi looks appears shocked, then goes off into a tangent about how frustrating it is that he keeps hiding his obviously prevalent health problems from her. Joanna asks what she means, and they group starts talking about Donovan's recent near-death experience, which they all seem to have scattered knowledge about. Daya knows he nearly died and was assaulted by someone at the fair, Joanna and Yuvi know he had to temporarily take a vacation from work, but suspect that pressure and his perfectionism made it so he wasn't resting as much as he should have. Joanna mentions how she definitely saw him walking around the city a week before he technically was supposed to be doing that--He was doing that when she met the party, afterall.   They end off by going into an awkward silence, before going "whatever, we'll talk to him about it later." They then step aside, as they admit Donovan probably will want to see them by now. The party now has a clear view and path to Donovan, who's in the middle of the battlefield.   He appears to be inspecting his plant constructs, which are all covered in blue tarp. He stands up straight and curtly greets the party. On his hands are heavy duty gloves, which his sleeves are tucked into, and in one hand is a canteen, which he appears to be drinking out of. A high enough perception roll (DC 14) will reveal that the odor is slightly acrid. A high enough nature or history roll (DC 15) will reveal that there is a family of plants known for their energizing properties, but have an acrid, pungeant smell when cooked, and an acidic taste, so are usually only used medicinally.   He welcomes the party and thanks them for coming. He then explains how the battle will play out: Once he is done inspecting his plant constructs, and the government and company officials watching give the go-ahead, the party will be instructed to hang out in the dugout area closest to the doors they entered in. There, the glass will become opaque, preventing the party from seeing what's happening inside as the arena is set up. The arena is equipped with magic technology to simulate a predetermined landscape, and during this process, the plant constructs will scatter across the field. Donovan does not know where they will be ahead of time.   Before finishing up his inspection, he asks the party when they are free tomorrow, so he can tinker with their spell foci and upgrade them as Michael asked of them. Once finished he begins to walk away, before stopping and awkwardly facing Amanti. He asks Amanti what druidic circle he is part of. Upon hearing that he's a wildfire druid, Donovan will go "Oh... Okay then, good luck. And-" before sighing to himself and going "I shouldn't be telling you this, but be careful" before walking out.   After that, an official comes and escorts the party to the dugout, handing the party the battlemap and plant construct documentation in a sealed letter. They are instructed to hit a button inside the dugout when they are ready, otherwise after enough time has passed, the fight managers will message them over the fantasy intercom. She then shuts the door.  

Pre-Fight Planning

The party is given up to 10 minutes of irl time.  

A Summary Explanation of Plant-Based Dynamic Mobile Constructs Features in Combat

陆费
Lufei, Donovan   Six plant-based dynamic mobile constructs have been prepared for the scheduled field test during the Kite-Flying Festival. They are a biomimetic engineering project inspired by the capabilities of various plant lifeforms, most notably carnivorous plants such as the pitcher plant and Venus flytrap. As these constructs have been purposed for combative abilities specifically, alongside being designed to traverse a variety of terrain, they utilize some traits of the aforementioned plants for their offensive capabilities, such as the digestive juices that are used to extract nutrients from their prey.   The constructs each have three forms. The forms are specialized for speed, offense, or defense. They are designed to be able to seamlessly switch between them at will, the process taking a couple seconds at most.   As fire damages plant matter at a rapid pace, it poses a great threat to these constructs. Accordingly, the constructs are designed to execute a special combative protocol if they take fire damage.  

— The Management of the Shengdu Colosseum in Partnership with the Local Shengdu Government

NOTE: The plants have three modes, are based off carnivorous plants, and there are six of them. The arena has water and forested terrain, with some rock outcroppings.   When the party is ready, the doors to the arena open.  

In-Fight Dialogue

"Your pupils dilate and blood rushes in your ears as you realize that the nature you have chosen as your surroundings is not simply immobile dirt and stone/greenery/ripple-less water. The surroundings part, revealing a sleek and solid body underneath. The constructs are beautiful. And they are efficient. Efficient like a well-oiled machine, and efficient like the split-second strike of a mantis striking its prey. With slick movements and elegant posture, the machines stand on all four legs to their full height, as the whirring of steel and life and spirit all intermixed as one pulses through the air around you. You have found yourself face to face with one of Donovan's creations. And now they are ready to attack."   "Now that all of the constructs have emerged fully, you can see the full scale of Donovan's artistry. Standing before you are six quadrupedal creatures, a mix of biological and artificial material. They stand jointed legs poised and alert. On these legs appears to be an intertwining of vines, similar to the intertwining of several cables together to create one, massive reinforced one. These vines make their way up to the main body, where they merge with several other plants embedded into the hull of the construct. A small elevation at its front is where you guess its head would be, and along its flank, you can see several more vines, leaves, and tendrils curled up, ready to strike and demonstrate the true power of nature. Near its end emerges, a sleek, long, narrow tail, which remains uncovered in green and is instead the more cool-toned color of the metal underneath. Everyone in the arena seats gasps in amazement, and crans their heads closer to see how the party will respond to these creatures."             "You slash at the plant construct with your weapon. Your instincts--which are telling you that this is some being of metal, artifical and organic--make you expect a loud *clang* when the weapon makes contact, but instead, just like you were rending flesh, the sound is a dull shred. The glowing red lights immediately swivel toward you, and you swear you can hear it huff like a wild animal... Or was it just the huffing of the machinery inside of it?"   "As the fight rages, everyone gathered in the crowd, save for a few sour-faced officials, and Donovan himself, begins cheering. The officials are dutifully writing notes, aided by magitech adorning their writing arms. Meanwhile Donovan moves to take a drink out of his canteen, though his eyes still remain focused on the fight."
If Thien's parents snuck in  

Post-Fight

Once the fight ends, the party looks up and sees the section of the crowd containing Donovan's coworkers and friends cheering wildly, while the officials are writing notes at lightning speed. Donovan moves to walk onto the arena, but his friends and coworkers sprint down the seats and immediately swarm him. The party watches in amusement as he gets briefly swallowed by the crowd, before fighting through, saying that he has to go help pick up the debris for analysis.   As this was happening, people were already running onto the battlefield with special collection tools in hand. They bend down and start picking up any pieces of debris they can find, mostly with special tweezers/prongs or gloved hands. The rest is swept into separate bags for later disposal.   Finally when Donovan makes his way down to the party, he bows and thanks them for their assistance, and says he hopes they didn't get too banged up out there. He even goes so far as to offer to try and heal them, before being interrupted by an official who says that he would like to ask the party a few questions about their experience.  

• On a scale of 1 to 5, how well would you rate the constructs' mobile capabilities?
• On a scale of 1 to 5, how well would you rate the constructs' offensive capabilities?
• On a scale of 1 to 5, how well would you rate the constructs' defensive capabilities?
• How well do you see other field combatants handling these constructs, should they encounter them in battle?
• How well do you feel your party as a whole worked together to fight these constructs? In other words, were you all able to plan, strategize, and execute your plans in their presence?
• How do you feel the terrain impacted the results of the battle?
• Overall, for the purposes of combat, such as being used in battle to assist soldiers, would you say the constructs excelled in?
• Overall, for the purposes of combat, such as being used in battle to assist soldiers, would you say the constructs need improvement on?

Donovan makes a silent note to himself to ask the party later questions not strictly related to combat.   The official then hands the party a small receipt-like paper: It's an official promo from the colosseum saying that if they fill out a survey, they'll receive 20% off on their next ticket purchase for a colosseum fight (Must be tier 1 or 2 fighters only). They wrap up their notes before bidding them a good day, and asking to speak with Donovan.   As he goes to answer, Daya, Yuvi, and Joanna walk up to him and excitedly congratulate him on his research, complimenting him on the artistry of his constructs and how well they performed in battle. Donovan sheepishly accepts the compliments, but looks awkwardly over at the official. They start to ask him something, but are interrupted by the official, who reaffirms that he needs to discuss private matters with Donovan. Donovan sadly waves the party and his friends goodbye, saying that he'll try and contact them soon.   Donovan's friends watch him leave with the official with a frown, before turning to the party. They ask how close the party is with Donovan. Either way, depending on the answer, they ask them, whether through passive aggression or directly, to check up on Donovan tomorrow night. They've been trying to invite Donovan out with them to go enjoy the festival, but he's declined their requests. Ever since the festival started, he also straight up has stopped responding. They were able to get him earlier today and ask what's up, and he apologized and said he had been busy the past couple weeks preparing for this battle, but still would not be able to leave time in his schedule to hang out with them. His friends have had enough of this and know he's being a pain in the ass, and so are turning to the party for help--They want to accompany the party to Donovan's house tomorrow sometime in the late afternoon or evening, and ask him if he would like to hangout with them for the last hours of the festival. If the party refuses, they'll offer them money: 1 gold each.
Donovan's future answer   The party can choose to talk to anyone in the crowd, including Thien's parents if they're there but eventually leaves the arena to go back to the inn (or anything else up to the party's choosing). Whether Nadyn meets up with them again or was there the whole time, he starts talking: He feels deeply uncomfortable and like there's something wrong with him.
If he left the party   If he stuck with the party   Either way, at the end of Nadyn's spiel, tears start forming in his eyes, and he goes quiet. He apologizes, saying that he's ruining the festival for everyone with crying so much. He then turns to Thien's parents and bows several times, apologizing for crying so much and ruining their time with their son.   The party makes their way back to the inn, where they bump into a tired Iskra. She yawns and asks the party how their festival's been going, and if they had any plans for the last night, which was the next day. Thien's parents admit they should leave before it gets too dark, but ask the party to introduce them to Iskra. Iskra receives Thien's parents with a mix of amusement and sorrowful remembrance of better times. She tells the party that she lost her family in the Yumalyan Civil War, and that Ljubica took her in, as she had also lost her family. Thien's parents reminded her of her parents. Probing deeper reveals that since she's a half-elf, and Ljubica is a human, she worries about what will happen to her once Ljubica passes away. She concludes by saying "enough of this sad talk, I'm too tired" and goes up to her room to sleep, leaving the party.   When the party goes to their rooms, they each find notes slipped under them. The notes are sealed with magic, and contain special symbols mimicking the eyes of funnel web spiders. They are notes from Mei, who asks them to meet with her that morning at the usual ginkgo tree.   After asking the party if there is anything else they would like to do, the session ends.