Solo Red Seas

Job Thread I, Winter 517 AV

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Syka is a new settlement of primarily humans on the east coast of Falyndar opposite of Riverfall on The Suvan Sea. [Syka Codex]

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Red Seas

Postby Satevis on January 22nd, 2018, 6:21 am

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44th of Winter, 517 AV

The kettle on the hearth bubbled and boiled, giving off the strong smell of ginger. The steam from the boiling water made the interior of the lab unseasonably hot, and Satevis was sweating beneath his shirt. He barely seemed to notice, though, tapping at the corner of one of his journal pages with his quill as he tried to put together a timeline of events. Lights and sounds in the sky, footprints in the jungle. Scorch marks on the trees. Dead animals. A body. And today, a red tide.

It was the body that interested him the most. Kalum had mentioned it in passing this morning, looking through some of his own notes while instructing Satevis to prepare gingerroot tea, but Satevis couldn't get it out of his mind. He had written it down in his journal along with the other odd events of Syka, the words flowing from his quill in his native tongue.

A dead body. Humanoid but not human. Oddly colored and wearing strange clothes.

That was the most telling part. If Satevis had to make a theory...and he wasn't sure he had enough to be making a theory at this point...he would have said that the man being here was a sign that there was something waiting for them out in the jungle. Perhaps an entire civilization, or a group of people yet uncontacted. Perhaps they truly weren't alone in Syka. He started scribbling his thoughts down in quick Shiber, but was interrupted by the screech of the kettle, the high-pitched sound drawing him back into reality.

Ah, right. The tea. His apprenticeship. Stomach problems. Red tide.

Satevis quickly shut the journal, getting to his feet. He had a pot already prepared for the tea, with a piece of cloth fixed over the top to act as a strainer. Slowly, careful not to spill anything, Satevis poured the yellowish liquid into the pot. The cloth caught the pieces of gingerroot that he had grated into the pot in the first place. One teaspoon of grated ginger to each cup of water. A simple recipe, to settle stomachs. It was the first actual medicinal concoction that Satevis had had to make. He drained the kettle, setting it aside, and decided to stir in some sugar to make it palatable. Just because it was medicine, it didn't have to burn. Satisfied with his handiwork, he set the lid on the pot and tucked his journal away, promising to go back to his theories later.

For now, there was work to do.

He poured some of the tea into a cup, leaving the pot where it was and stepping out into the Syka sunshine. Kalum Alavarth was outside, in the main, open-air portion of the Panacea, sitting with an older man that Satevis had been introduced to as Tony Swiftwater, Syka's head gardener. The man was pale and had his head down, a bucket close at hand just in case.

"Tell me about these tingles," Satevis heard Kalum say as he approached with the tea. The Akalak's other personality was more clipped than Jansen, more straight to the point, but Satevis had quickly learned that both were extremely capable healers. "Where do you feel them?"

"My fingers mostly," Tony said. "My toes, a little. Sometimes it feels like my lips are numb. They're not too bad."

Kalum frowned, thinking, as Satevis handed Tony the tea. The Drykas man held it in unsteady hands, sipping at it slowly.

Near the entrance to Panacea, pinned up to one of its posts, was a notice, written in Common in large, imposing letters. It read:

Caution: Red Tide
Do not eat seafood until the tide passes.
Take care while swimming.
Do not swallow seawater.
Watch children and pets.
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Postby Satevis on January 26th, 2018, 12:20 am

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"Drink slowly," Kalum said, to Tony. "Try to keep some of it down, if you can. And let me know right away if the tingling gets any worse."

He glanced at Satevis, jerking his head towards the far side of the Panacea. Satevis nodded, straightening up and following him. They walked out of earshot, both of them keeping an eye on Tony from across the open space.

"Is it a poison?" Satevis asked, when they stopped.

"In a manner of speaking," said Kalum, looking troubled. "We aren't really sure what causes it. What we do know is that the red in the water is harmful. Swim in it, and you might be fine, as long as you don't drink it. Have a sip of it, and you'll probably be fine, if you aren't a child or a small animal. But eat shellfish or fish that have been living in that water, soaking the poison into their flesh and, well, even you might get sick."

Satevis didn't doubt it. The Ethaefalan resistance to disease didn't apply to poisons, and he certainly wasn't going to go for a swim to find out if it applied in this case. At least he didn't like fish very much.

"What was the culprit?" he asked, inclining his head towards Tony, who had set aside the cup of tea and was seriously contemplating the bucket again.

"Shellfish," Kalum said. "He had some about an hour ago, before he heard the warning. Hopefully he's the last one we see today, but I doubt it." Kalum looked lost in thought for a moment, but his eyes were sharp when he turned back towards Satevis. Satevis sensed a 'teaching' moment coming on.

"So," Kalum said. "Describe his symptoms."

"Stomach problems," Satevis said, automatically. He had been the person to greet Tony when the Drykas came in, had, as Jansen and Kalum had instructed him to do, sat him down and asked him to describe in detail what was bothering him that day. "Nausea and vomiting, mostly. He hasn't been able to keep anything down--." As if to punctuate Satevis's statement, Tony was hunched over the bucket again, retching. "There's also the tingling he mentioned. A numbness in the...extremities, yes?" He waited for Kalum's nod to tell him that he had pronounced the word correctly. The numbness has spread to his face, but so far, doesn't seem to be impeding normal function."

Kalum nodded. "Good, so we can say that this is not a life-threatening case of shellfish poisoning. Yet. When would you consider this case to be severe?"

Satevis frowned, thinking about it. He looked down at his hand, flexing and curling his fingers. Numbness and tingling. When he felt any of those sensations, it usually meant that he had lain down on his hand, or applied weight to a limb where weight shouldn't have been applied. Cutting off the blood flow. Tony seemed pale, but his blood was flowing fine, so it wasn't likely to be that.

When his hands or feet were numb, though, Satevis found that he couldn't move them as well as he would like. And if the numbness progressed to his face, to his throat...

"If the numbness progresses to his face..." Satevis said, speaking slowly as if he wasn't sure of his answer. "He won't be able to...eat?"

"He can barely eat now," Kalum said. "Food isn't what I'm worried about, not immediately. But if the numbness spreads to his face and throat, he won't be able to breathe. And if it spreads to his brain and heart..."

Kalum trailed off, but his expression told Satevis exactly what would happen then.
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Red Seas

Postby Satevis on January 27th, 2018, 2:22 am

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"His case isn't that bad, is it?" Satevis asked, looking over at Tony with some concern.

"I doubt it," Kalum said. "His case looks relatively mild. He'd likely recover if left to his own devices, though I doubt it would be a very comfortable time. But take note of these symptoms. I doubt he's the only one who didn't get the warning."

There was something in Kalum's tone, something that made Satevis think of the residents of Syka, spread out on their acres. In a place like this, news took a while to spread. While many of them might already know not to eat anything that came out of a red tide, a few of them might not, and it was those few that the Panacea was concerned with.

"What are you going to do?" Satevis asked.

"I'll tend to Tony," Kalum said. "After that, there are some people I want to talk to, to make sure the settlers are looked after. I won't be gone long. You've taken note of Tony's symptoms?"

Satevis nodded. Those notes were not in his journal, but on the desk in the lab, neatly written down on a sheet of paper. He thought he might be able to recognize anyone with similar symptoms, should they come in today.

"If anyone comes in, find out how severe their symptoms are," Kalum said. "Anyone with mild symptoms will probably be alright with ginger tea, to settle their stomachs. The biggest danger for anyone who can't keep anything down is dehydration. Make sure they drink plenty of water--and if they are that bad, they won't want to, so you'll have to insist on it. Tell them they're welcome to wait for me. If it's just a bit of stomach upset and they don't feel up to waiting, you can let them leave. If they report any numbness, no matter how mild, have them wait for me."

"If there's a severe case?" Satevis asked.

"If there's a severe case..." Kalum's expression darkened. It was clear he didn't relish the thought of leaving the Panacea, even if only for a little while. "...Stay with them. Send someone to find me if you can, but do not leave them alone. I should be right back."

"Is there an antidote?" Satevis asked. "Something that we can prepare?"

Kalum shook his head. "Not that we know of," he said. "This is the sort of thing that time cures, if all the toxin passes out of the body." He looked over at Tony, who was still retching. "Better out than in, in this case." He started walking towards Tony. "Remember, plenty of water. And if you run out of things to do, you could always work on that wound poultice. It's not as though people stop getting hurt when there's a red tide in, after all."

Satevis nodded. "I'll take care of it," he said.

He watched with some fascination as Kalum sat down next to Tony, taking his hand. The light of healing surrounded them both.
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Postby Satevis on January 30th, 2018, 12:00 am

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After Kalum left, Satevis retreated to the lab. He left the door open, both to air out the room and to be certain that he would be able to hear anyone who came by, in case there was an emergency. He had no doubt that Kalum would return soon, likely he had just gone to ask those nearby to check on their neighbors, and to bring anyone who showed warning signs to the Panacea. For the moment, however, Satevis had his own tasks.

It was interesting, he thought, as he fished out some of the notes he had been studying and looked through them, how similar his current position was to his previous position as a student at the University of Zeltiva. He still spent most of his days studying, albeit in a somewhat cruder environment than in the university.

Not that he minded. Syka certainly had its charms.

He glanced at the list of things that Jansen and Kalum had left for him to focus on, mostly based around simple herbal remedies and first aid at this point in his training. For now, he supposed, it would probably be a good idea to have some grated ginger ready, in case he needed to brew more tea. And while he was doing that, since it was a task that didn't require all of his concentration, he could review the treatment of wounds and minor injuries.

He picked up what was left of the ginger root from earlier and the grater he had used, grating ginger carefully into a small wooden bowl. As he worked, allowing himself to get absorbed in the steady motion, the steady scrape and grind of the ginger against the tool, he glanced at the open book he had placed next to him. In it were notes on the proper care of wounds.

...in the case of a shallow cut, it is necessary to keep the wound clean. Wash the wound thoroughly and wrap with a bandage. A herbal poultice, salve or tincture may be applied if necessary. Calendula in particular has been shown to assist with the healing process...

In the margins, Jansen had encircled 'calendula' and written the words 'papaya skin' beside it. It wasn't the first note of its kind that Satevis had seen, and he assumed that Jansen and Kalum were finding Syka equivalents for the plants that were written about in these notes. There were some papayas around that he could skin, if he wanted to practice making a poultice. He made a mental note to do that later, continuing to read.

In the case of a deeper cut, stitching may be necessary (see section on Sutures). It is important to make sure that the cut is free of dirt and debris before suturing. A poultice, salve, or tincture may still be applied after suture. In the event that a qualified doctor is not available for suturing, the first priority is stemming the flow of blood. This can be accomplished by the use of cloths, and pressure on the wound. Press a clean cloth to the wound and apply pressure. If the cloth becomes soaked with blood, do not remove. Simply add another cloth over the first. Repeat as necessary until bleeding slows or until a qualified doctor can be found...
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Postby Satevis on January 31st, 2018, 2:09 am

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In the event of a minor burn, a soothing salve may be applied. Aloe is particularly useful for this purpose. Jansen had encircled 'aloe' and written 'centella?' in its place. Clothing around the burn site should be removed. Cool water should be applied to the burn before the salve is applied, until the pain stops. Once the salve is applied, place a clean bandage over the burn site. If the burn is extremely minor, a bandage may not be necessary...

That had to be enough ginger by now. Satevis stopped grating, checking what was in the bowl. It seemed fine. Satevis picked up the bowl, tipping the herbs in it carefully into a small glass bottle. He stoppered the bottle and corked it, labeling it neatly, then set it aside for later. It would come in handy if more people arrived at the Panacea with the same problem. Once he was done, he stepped outside, looking around for any more patients. No one was around or within eyesight, and Kalum hadn't returned. Satevis swatted at a curious mosquito that buzzed too close to his ear, then looked around for something else to do while he waited.

The bucket seemed like the obvious next task. It would need to be cleaned. Grimacing--it was never a pleasant task to have to clean up any sort of bodily fluid, but a necessary one for a clinic--he walked back outside and picked it up. Satevis took it out back, so as not to contaminate the rest of the Panacea. He rinsed it out in a bucket of tepid water set outside for just this purpose, making sure to set the lid back on the bucket when he was done so that it wouldn't become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. He rolled up his sleeves and bent down, scouring it clean.

When the bucket was clean, and ready for the next hapless soul who might need it before the day was done, Satevis washed his hands with soap. Jansen and Kalum often stressed the importance of cleanliness at the Panacea, and Satevis would have wanted to wash his hands after that task at any rate. He straightened out the cushions that Tony had been sitting on, then looked around for anything else. A sea breeze was blowing in, cutting through the humid air. The feel of it was welcome on his heated skin.

Well, he thought, things were certainly clean enough for now. He checked the jugs of water inside the lab, making sure that there was enough to drink for anyone who might come in, then turned, about to get started on the wound poultice, when he spotted Kalum coming back along the path, a troubled frown on his face. Satevis waited for him to get close to the Panacea.

"Trouble?" he asked.

"Thankfully, not anymore," Kalum said, taking the steps up onto the Panacea's open air platform. "I had to make a house call, but they're better now. I've asked people to make sure to spread the word and check on their neighbors. Hopefully, we won't have any more incidents today."

Satevis nodded. "Hopefully," he echoed. "If we do, though, the Panacea's ready to receive them."

"Yes," Kalum said, looking around at the space. He nodded his head. "Yes, it is."
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Red Seas

Postby Avela on March 21st, 2018, 2:34 pm

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Character 1

XP Award:
  • Investigation - 1
  • Medicine - 5
  • Writing - 1
  • Herbalism - 3
  • Observation - 4
  • Socialization - 3

Lore:
  • Herbalism: Preparing ginger tea
  • Medicine: Ginger tea can be used to treat stomach problems
  • Tony Swiftwater: Syka's gardener
  • Red tide: Makes seafood harmful
  • Medicine: Symptoms of red tide poisoning
  • Medicine: Treating food poisoning
  • Medicine: Dehydration is a dangerous consequence of food poisoning
  • Red tide poisoning has no antidote
  • Herbalism: Papaya skin can treat wounds
  • Herbalism: Aloe and centella can treat burns
  • Medicine: Treatment of shallow wounds
  • Medicine: Stopping the bleeding for deeper cuts
  • Medicine: Treating minor burns
  • Medicine: Cleanliness is important


Notes:
Self-graded.

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~Avela~
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