Session 19

Intro

The party wakes up in their respective rooms. The night before, they all had received special messages slipped under their doors: The messages are in Druidic, and instruct the party to meet them the next morning at the Ginkgo Tree Park. Thien tags along silently, before spending the rest of the day with his parents.   As the party goes downstairs for breakfast, they spot Iskra. Iskra asks the party if they know anything about the massive ceremony going on in and around the park--the empress of Lingguo will be there, and a special performance is being put on (Michael mentioned it previously) for her entertainment.  

Meeting with Mei

Mei instructs party to meet them at Ginkgo Tree Park next day.   When the party heads to the Ginkgo Tree Park, they see Mei sweeping the ground near the base of the tree. When they come up to talk to her, she puts the broom away, and instructs the party to come with her, making sure nobody is following her. She walks around to the other side of a tree and approaches a particular indent into the tree. She traces a symbol on it, before asking everyone to link hands--it is important no one let's go--in a single file line. After that, she walks into the tree, leading everyone after her.   The party emerges on a platform built around a tree, high above the ground in a massive forest. The trees are of above average thickness and height, and it is clear falling from here will be fatal if the person isn't skilled enough to be able to catch themselves, though there are railings and a small roof above the platform.   There, she asks them to investigate a patch of protected land in a region in western Anshan, which has been undergone sudden disruptions to its ecosystem recently--monsters (Taotie-like creatures created by Lauran fused with the Corrupted Threads that arose from the pollution--Goat's body and horns, human head, tiger teeth, human front half. When fighting it, the mask that Lauran placed on it to control it is cracked, and in its second phase it completely breaks off, revealing its true visage. The mask resembles the designs on ding) have been appearing in higher numbers there, coincidentally the same place Donovan asks the party to acquire the seeds of a special plant for him.   The area is near the border between Anshan and Ai. Anshan is known for its immense biodiversity, and has several areas of protected lands as a result. The Atracidae, being protectors of the environment, have many connections there, and one of their informants (An old male High Elf who has lived on the lands for hundreds of years), which lives on the protected lands, has informed them of a rising evil presence there. They suspect it to be Corrupted Threads, but want to check out the area on their own.   Mei explains the origin of Corrupted Threads: The Weaver's original creations, before they rewove the universe a second time. They waged a war against Weaverkind--Spirits and Mortals--but were defeated with the help of the High Elves. Though most of their population has been decimated, they can still arise naturally from the environment when The Weave is corrupted. Those who mess with dark magics or strain themselves can also permanently damage their essence and turn into Corrupted Threads themselves.   She tells them she and another Atracidae will be accompanying them on their journey, and that they will provide transport. However, given the environment in the deep Anshan wilderness, they might have to journey on foot for some portions of the trip. They will meet at the riverbank the next morning on the docks near the western gates of the city. The journey will probably take several weeks.   She eyes Nadyn and asks the party if he will also be coming along, as he is technically a member.  

Helping re-enact a play

As the party walks around, they spot a person in what appears to be elaborate costume walking around, looking around worriedly, before running over to a large ampitheater structure farther away from the markets and stalls.   Several other people in costumes are gathering around and chatting, and a very worried person--presumably a director or theatre crew of some kind--is pacing around.   The director says they're due to put on a play later on in the day, and were going to rehearse, but are missing three important actors for rehearsing. When he says that, he gets an idea, and suddenly asks the party if they can fill in for the actors so they are able to practice.   The roles are: The emperor, the enemy warlord, and the emperor's loyal servant.   The party is asked to act out three major scenes: The emperor and his wife planning, the warlord coming to kill the empress, and the final battle between the emperor and the warlord.   The actors each must role a performance check, DC 13: If they pass, they remember the correct line they're supposed to say. If they fail, they only remember a rough approximation.   Scene 1:
Empress: Dear husband, this is such terrible news!
*Emperor: Indeed, how could we hope to fight back against these barbarians!?
Empress: Fear not, for I think I have an idea.
*Emperor: Dearest wife, what would your idea be?
Empress: I agree to accompany the warlord back to his camp, but on the condition I am allowed a group of attendants to come with me. Before I go, I shall pack a special kite with me. While the warlord and his guards have their guards down, I shall slit the throat of the warlord, and their army will be without a leader!
*Emperor: Why, I expected nothing less of my beautiful and intelligent wife! But are you sure you will be safe?
Empress: I am sure of it, my dear.
*Emperor: Then let's make preparations, and may The Weave work out in our favor.   Scene 2:
*Warlord: Stop right there, you cunning witch!
Empress: Ah, who dares to disturb my rest?
*Warlord: You words seem innocent, but I have seen through your ways! Your attendants were lousy, I overheard them talking about everything! What do you have to say for yourself? I will give you enough grace to allow you to grovel and beg for mercy before I cut off your head!
Empress: You fiend! I refuse to bow down to such a tyrant! Maybe my attendants words' have flowed freely and unrestrained from their lips, but I will not do the same! You may cut me down, but I shall die knowing that I have served my country honorably and dutibly, and that my husband shall avenge my death!
*Warlord: You devil! You may rebel now, but we'll see who's laughing at the end when I take your kingdom for myself!   Scene 3:
*Emperor: We have you surrounded! Will you surrender peacefully, and face defeat with dignity, or will you remain stubborn and foolish, and gaurantee the slaughter of your men over your pride?!
*Warlord: Ha! It matters not what you do. Your lovely wife whom you have come to rescue is no more!
*Emperor: What!? Are the words I hear true!? You promised you would spare my wife!
*Warlord: She was a dirty snake and plotted my assassination! Our deal immediately become void once those revelations came to light! Why should I have let a being that bites the hand that feeds it stay around?! She deserved her death!
*Servant: My lord, what shall we do?
*Emperor: We have no other choice... They have taken my wife away from me, we must remove every bit of their presence from this land! Attack!
[The Emperor and Warlord, plus their respective armies rush each other. The Servant is soon attacked by one of the Warlord's right-hand men]
Right-hand man: Die, scum!
Servant: *Athletics roll to dodge/parry and counterattack*
[The Servant's horse is shot, and falls to the ground]
Servant: *Athletics or acrobatics roll to fall off gracefully*
[While fighting with the Warlord, the Emperor's weapon is knocked out of his hands and comes flying towards the servant]
Servant: *Roll athletics to catch the sword and throw it back to the Emperor*
[While the Warlord gloats over his imminent victory, the Emperor catches his sword and uses it to decapitate the Warlord. The Warlord's head goes flying off, a tyrannical laugh frozen on its face]  

Kite-Making

Near the market stalls, the party notices a particularly large crowd clustered around a large stall, displaying varying kites of all shapes and sizes and beckoning people to produce their own. A squint at the posters hung up indicate a litany of options. There are a variety of bases, patterns, colors, and animals supplied, and patrons can even add their own magic to the kites. Avid kite battlers, including some from the local kite battle club, are there. The party also spots Laseen there, with her younger brothers, Klorin and Atep.   Animals: Phoenix, turtle, dragon, kirin, hare, dragonfly, spider, carp, horse, bat, butterfly, snake, rooster, crane, magpie, kingfisher   Basic Kite: 5 sp
Large Kite: 10 sp
Magic infusion: 1 gp (Fire, cold, lightning, thunder, poison)
Passive effect: 50 sp
Active effect: 50 sp
Extra tails: 5 cp  

• Each kite has 5 hp.
• A coin is flipped at the beginning of the battle to determine who goes first. Each turn consists of three actions: One taken before the attack, and one after. They consist of a variety of effects, mostly dependent on the kite selected.
• The attack consists of the attacker doing a 1d20 to attack, and the opponent doing a 1d20 to dodge. Various actions taken beforehand will apply different modifiers to these rolls. If the attacker rolls higher than the defender, they make a hit. A hit does 1 hp to the attack, unless kite abilities specify otherwise. A kite's special ability can be used a max of three times per fight. When a kite reaches 0 hp, its thread is cut, and the kiter has lost. The game ends after 7 rounds, or whoever reaches 0 hp first.
• Defend: You have +2 to your next roll to dodge.
• Offense: You have +2 to your next roll to attack.
• Refresh: Roll a 1d6. On a 5 or 6, you regain 1 hp.

 

The Tailor Sāngshù桑树

The party walks into the store, and immediately sees Cillian sitting at a desk with his feet up on the counter, happily humming "Foggy Dew" while grass weaving. He quickly gets to his feet, swiftly batting the unfinished insect and its supplies into cabinents, which magically open and shut in time with his actions. He asks what the party is here for. When they answer, he gestures for several thick threads to fly from the shelf behind him and form into a book, where he flips through and asks them if they made an appointment. He recognizes Michael and his handwriting if shown the note Michael previously scribbled the address and store name on.   He introduces himself as Cillian, but says the party can call him "Cian" for short if that's too hard to say.   If the party asks to be fit in, Cillian remarks that he'll try his best, before busily flipping through the book. He appears to pick up a sending stone and speak into it, communicating with presumably his boss. He tells the party that he'll be a bit, and that they're free to look around in the meantime.   Behind Cillian is a collage of photographs. Upon closer inspection, the party can see past customers--Michael and Donovan, surrounded by his coworkers--in the pictures.   Whilst the party is looking around, the door slams open and Donovan suddenly runs in, nearly tripping over himself stopping. As he catches his breath, his eyes dart around and he takes a swig of his water bottle, before he staggers up to Cillian and asks to speak to him privately. Cillian looks shocked and says of course, before leading him away. The party is left alone for a moment, before Cillian comes back and continues looking in his records while talking with Sangshu.   Eventually, the party is allowed to see Sangshu herself, and Cillian opens curtains leading to the hallway to Sangshu.  

Sāngshù's Domain/Demiplane

Sangshu's domain is a small, octagon shaped, purple-hued room. The ambient lighting itself is dim, but glowing orbs hovering in the air and whimsical specks of light that float around the room provide additional light. Rows upon rows of beautiful, exquisite clothes--robes, dresses, suits, and even accessories like scarves and gloves--hang from racks on both sides of the room, leaving a path directly to a figure in the middle, and even more hang from silken ropes that hang from the ceiling.   The floor is covered in intricate geometric runes and designs, continuing further on to the walls. In addition to these symbols, there are ancient written characters, drawn in the finest calligraphy, carved into the walls surrounding the tailor. Behind the seated figure is a small mulberry tree, with domestic silk months all in varying stages of life crawling acoss its surface. Further behind the trees, a very large spider web stretches across the wall, the diameter nearly reaching the top of the 10 ft high room. Tiny dewdrops are dotted on the threads, making it shine radiantly in the room like bright jewels. On each of the figures' sides you see some mannequins, some full-body, and some only busts, with work-in-progress pieces and measuring tape draped over them. Near the mannequins are large shelves stashed with varying fabric types, from the simplest cotton to the most refined of silks.   The figure, you can see in the dim lighting, has medium-dark skin and dark red hair, tied up in several loops and knots. Elaborate ornaments and accessories decorate their head, extending outward and dangling down to around their face and neck. Their sclera are completely dark, their ears sharp, just as the High Elf at the eastern temple's were, and their face is decorated with paint at their cheeks, dimples, and forehead. They wear long, flowy robes, an elegant lilac with gold and blue accents. When the party arrives, they can see them dutifully working a needle in and out of a piece of fabric.   When they lift their hand, you see that the ring and pointer finger nails are extremely long and sharp.   Sangshu can communicate through and control all of the clothes that hang around the room.   The outfits are all made of the highest quality silk (Pride Silk). For the purposes of this table, a set of clothes is considered a top and bottom garment, or one one-piece garment, such as a dress.

Item	Cost
Casual clothes	1-5 gold
Dresses or nice robes	5-20 gold
Formal robes or dresses	50-100 gold
Wedding clothes	250+ gold

 

Garment	Cost
Top (shirt, blouse, etc.)	5-30 gold
Bottom (pants, skirt, etc.)	5-30 gold
Jacket or coat	10-50 gold
Accessory (scarf, shawl, muffler, etc.)	5-15 gold

 

Service	Cost
Damage resistance	50 gold
Auto-mending	25 gold
Self-cleaning	40 gold
Enhanced storage	75 gold (per pocket)

 

Size	Cost Multiplier (applied after all charges added up)
Tiny	0.75x
Medium	1.0x
Large	1.5x

  Sangshu can also trade in secrets: Should the party offer something of interest and valuable information to them, they will apply a discount to the job.  

Other Shopping

Nice blanket: 5 gp Very nice blanket: 10 gp  

Meeting with Donovan

When the party knocks on the door, Donovan doesn't answer immediately. After knocking several times, they hear rustling sounds on the other side of the door, before it slowly creaks open, allowing the party to walk in. Donovan, who is out already, doesn't appear until the party at least enters his room.   They see that the small apartment walls are entirely covered in vines, with the paint underneath not visible at all. Some of the vines, in fact, hang loosely from the ceiling, prompting any taller characters to have to duck slightly under them. A few of the vines have summer fruits on them, like the party noticed last time. However, attempting to take one results in the vines pulling away or straight up slapping the person.   By the door is several hooks and racks for hanging stuff up. The party notices several tools there, a small shoulder bag, small cases, holsters/scabbards and bags to hook onto his belt, reusable bags for shopping, and his jackets. The sunglasses he had to wear from his brain damage are also there. Attempting to touch them, however, reveals magic locks keeping them in place. Their surface will shimmer slightly, and they will remain stuck in place, unless Donovan touches them.   Donovan mentions how the party previously expressed interest in him upgrading their spell foci. He remarks that he would be able to do it, but he'd need the party's spell foci for one day. He supplies them with temporary foci--Basic magic wands, which have 6 sorcery points worth of spells.   Donovan would be able to infuse Fanna's dagger but with a caveat: Fanna won't be able to use it until the next day, and they need to supply additional materials so it doesn't take up one of Donovan's infusion slots. This involves a complicated process where Donovan unlinks his personage (Ki) from an infusion and quickly substitutes the Ki required with one from the surroundings. Then, when the person is ready to use it, they link their Ki with the item (attunement). Because the item is already magic, Donovan thinks that it will be more difficult to do the process. He gives a final price of 50 gold for the job.   Donovan also quietly asks the party for a favor: He hates putting up jobs for adventurers seeking money, and would rather give the task to a party he knows already. He needs a special plant from Anshanese territory (the same place Mei wants the party to accompany to her), but can't afford spending weeks traveling to gather the plant. He would like the party to gather the plant for him--it is poisonous, so make sure to be careful handling it. He cautions the party to make sure they have strong, heavy-duty gloves when collecting the leaves, and to wash their hands thoroughly when they're done. He gives them a special bag to preserve the leaves in, which uses magic to preserve any plantlife inside and sustain it so it doesn't rot.  

Living Room

His living room seems to double as a workstation. A large workstation is lined up against the wall, complete with a drafting desk, several drawers, and built-in drawers and shelves. On the drafting desk lies a neat diagram of the plant constructs, with labels of all the relevant plant traits incorporated in it. If the party tries to look closer, vines from the wall snatch the diagram, roll it up, and hide it entangled in themselves. On the wall adjacent to it is a large corkboard where posters, sticky notes, and images are pinned. They appear to be covered in reminder notes, formulas, calculations, and contact information. In addition, there is a calendar, where the previous date--the party's first test battle with the plant constructs--is circled in red. Further inspection reveals other dates circled in red in the next month, such as "Government Inspection." Previously, the months had at least 1-3 events written in for going out with friends, but ever since the science fair, it has been stark and empty.   On both sides of the desk are two shelves, which join together at the top above the desk. There are many shelves, and a few plants that need partial or low light on them. The shelves are stuffed with books, varying in topics from botany, chemistry, bioengineering, history, math, gardening, environmental science, and ecology.   On the wall of the desk are several switches. One turns on/off a light, one causes the plants to grab a cup of water and place it at the desk. One takes any paper on the desk and throws it into the recycling bin. One fetches paper. One fetches a new paper. One fetches a new eraser. One grabs a small bowl full of snacks. The final one, marked in red, causes the strong, energizing scent of Tiger Balm to be emitted.   In the corner closest to the entry into his bedroom, is the glass case where the marionette doll is stored. Once again, it appears innert and lifeless. A Spirit check reveals that it, along with Donovan's entire apartment, seem to have a slight "background radiation" of Ki. Donovan himself is aware of it, but doesn't know the exact reason--It is a common phenomena for certain areas to have stronger Ki traces than others, and the reasons can vary from a Spirit's presence to the Weave having a particular quirk in that location.  

Kitchen

In the kitchen, recipes, all neatly protected in plastic, hang from more vines that criss-cross the ceiling. Stuff like pots and pans all are carefully lined up against cabinets, and the ingredients in labeled cabinets.   An examination of the recipes reveals them to be Anshanese in nature.  

Bedroom

In his room is a desk and chair, barebones bed with lots of hanging plants, and a closet. Under his bed are small drawers and books. In his closet is several simple, but practical and well-taken care of shirts, pants, along with more thicker protective clothing for when he's tinkering with his creations. These all have faded stains and small tears in them. His special long green coat is hanging in the corner, and his waistcoat and pants that he wears for special occasions is carefully folded in special drawers. Various objects and tools are hanging from the shelves, and thick vines that span his room. In the window by his bed, is the Sun-Kissed Cloud flower that Nadyn and Amanti gave him in a pot.   Across the walls are a variety of pictures, this time ones that are depicting people. They seem to be of Donovan with several people, presumably his friends or important figures, at various events.   The party finds a in progress letter on the desk in his room. It is written in the Anshanese dialect, so it requires a high enough int check (13) to discern its contents. Redacted version

---

Dear father,   I am sorry I have not contacted you in a few months. My life has become incredibly busy recently, but I assure you it is for good reason. I recently held a presentation at the Shuixiu Science Expo, showing off a prototype of the plant-based constructs I've been planning for a while. It received a warm reception, and to my surprise, the government has seemed to show a minor interest in their capabilities.   Unfortunately, as you may know, the resulting terrorist attack injured many people, and I was one of them. I was unable to work for a month as a result of a severe head injury. While I was stuck in the recovery period, however, my boss contacted me and informed moe some exciting news: The government has shown a minor interest in my constructs. I hope you will be proud and celebrate this achievement as I have. Just yesterday, after implementing some more features in them, they participated in their first field test. They did wonderfully, though they were only utilized purely for combat. The hope is I can add more features in the future, but they seem to hold great promise. At least, that's what one of the government officials there said.   I will send you a bit more money than usual to make up for my mistake. I haven't been spending as much on luxuries recently, so the resulting reduction in spending money should even out.

On smaller notes next to it, is drafts in Common of what he wants to say next.

I am sorry to also say this, but I also haven't had much time to focus on my future lately

I regret to inform you that I also haven't had much time to focus on my future lately

This will surely come as a disappointment, but I also regret to inform you that I haven't had much time to focus on my future lately. I know that I have limited time on this plane to find a significant other to settle down with, and I know that letting myself become isolated will cause all of my current happy relationships to wither away, but I have simply lacked the time and energy to focus on that aspect in life. I hope that with my recent injury, you will understand this, as I am aware this has been a persistent problem you have been concerned about throughout my entire life. Hopefully, if these plant constructs really get off the ground, I will have enough money to send home to you that you will be able to drastically improve conditions in the village, and that the strengthened bonds that will result from that will make up for the ones I lack right now.