Fable - Ask A War with Nature

[Tera Lynx]

Once gain, as stories go, a small village has become a stage for events great and small.
The village, Haven's Stone, a rural settlement of farmers and tradesmen. A resting spot for travelers and pilgrims seeking the gateway to the fortress of the Templar Order, a bastion where the great vaults bear magical and blessed locks to contain immense and ancient evils and artifacts.
Under the proverbial shadow of this great defensive structure what significance does little Haven's Stone have besides providing goods and supplies to the Templar living there?

Well, truth be told... nothing. Haven's Stone has nothing there worthwhile to set it apart from any other village stage. The simple ring of houses and shops gathered around the town center with its little well could only house no more than a hundred people, and that's including the farm houses well outside of its protective border of the watchmen's lamp.
A medium sized mansion houses the mayor of the village and his family, the large home rests near the town square.
Only the hearts and souls of those who lived there could make Haven's Stone a truly special place, how many hearts and arrows were carved into the live oak, how many stories their elders told around the hearth, how many generations had tended the same family fields, all those who left and returned from great and wild adventures, all those ancestors who were buried in the graveyard of the tiny chapel.

A simple life, and one not a one of them would trade for the world!

... Or so they thought...

A silent killer enters this peaceful and heartfelt narrative...

_______________________________________________​

It started out small. A mild cough which kept a few children bedridden and visited regularly by the town cleric who assured everyone that it will pass quickly... He was wrong... Soon grown-ups started having similar symptoms, a cough which developed into a sort of flu. In spite of their best efforts they couldn't seem to stop the spread, even doing their best to quarantine from each other.

By the end of the week there were precious few in the village who weren't sick. Those who still had their health had to work the fields in place of the sick farmers, less than thirty people total. Those with the mildest symptoms did their best to tend to the others.
In desperation they sent word out seeking a doctor to help them end this infection, but a few ex adventurers also urged the village to post a quest at the adventurers guild, since in their experience this could be the work of monsters or some other evil force.
A healthy messenger was chosen and he went to seek help.

It was through this messenger that Tera found herself riding into the village of Haven's Stone. Before crossing the village border she placed her crows mask over her face to keep out the unwanted plague that afflicted the village.
She rode into the town square, the village was like a ghost town, all windows were shuttered and doors locked. The only sign of life was the sickly mayor coming to his front door to greet her.
"Welcome traveler... Though you won't find much else but a welcome and a disease here... You'd best be on your way..."
Tera dismounted and bowed to the mayor, "I am the doctor you sent for, Tera Lynx. I am here to help you fight off this plague."

 

[Kiros Rahnel]

For once, he had been doing financially well; at least for an adventurer. So when the messenger approached him, he wasn’t terribly enthused at the notion of making another trek out so soon. Especially given that the priest had obtained his attention first – the last time he was prioritized for such a quest, it had involved dealing with foul spirits. Given his appearance as a priest, he thought it likely such matters were the cause of the messenger’s attention towards him.

But while Kiros appeared as a priest, he also appeared as a healer; and former assumptions were corrected when the messenger spoke not of spirits, but of debilitating and unknown illness sweeping through a town. In hearing him out, he learned that the quest requested one with either medical or adventuring skills, both of which he possessed in ample amounts. Reluctant as he had been to travel out again so soon, these were lives in need of saving and a situation that required the medical knowledge he held. While dispatching a monster or spirit held little interest to Kiros presently, combating disease was a task that motivated him. While the messenger might find other adventurers, those with medical wisdom were by far more rare. Worried that the disease could well ravage the village before the messenger could find another, Kiros accepted the task and made his preparations to travel that very day.

* * *​

A few short days of extended travel brought him to the very location the messenger had marked on his map. A small and unassuming settlement, yet eerily quiet. Making further approach, he saw the signs of devastation the disease and already brought upon the inhabitants in the form of boarded up houses and unlively scene. For a moment, he wondered if he was already too late on revival but the click of a door opening and the sight of the mayor was a relief to that current worry.

“Hail, but disease has befallen the town.” The mayor warned as he approached.

“Then this must be Haven’s Stone. I’m here on request for a doctor.”

“Oh, well we already have one but...”

“Then now you have the aid of two.” He replied, in pledge to help.

 

[Xzaar Vixneel]

"Well, my friends, now you have three, and a protector.""
​

Protecting the forest has it's rewards and certainly it's downfalls. The rewards are the safety and well being of the place he and others call home. The downfall is the physical and mental fatigue of confronting the foes that wish to destroy it. Apparently word of Xzaar's battles had gotten far; a messenger requested his help elsewhere to combat the wretched, opportunistic forces that may attempt to besiege the town in it's time of weakness. This made Xzaar think. Normally he'd combat the forces that'd make attempts at Felling The Forest, not guarding a village or aiding in quelling an insidious plague. He was reluctant to leave and go out that far east and away from the places he was protecting, plus he's hardly had any sleep, but he sworn to aid all of the Falwood no matter how far it goes or the duration of the trip.

Stopping this plague before it spreads further is crucial for everyone, but he'll have to do it without contracting it himself. He'll need a mask... one that shows that he is an ally of the forest and those that reside in it. One that blends in with it and goes with his armor as the metallic surface has the decoration of thorny vines trickling across it. One that shows the great pride in his elven lineage!

He saddled up on horseback, securing three satchels to the steed with vials, herbs and all the equipment he'd need on the journey. The ride took longer than it should have as he almost constantly stopped to eat and rest or stop the occasional mugging of someone or himself. Though reluctant at first, the trip did give him a much needed respite from the skirmishes he'd find himself in back home. Although, he couldn't focus on the relaxation as evidence of deforestation were slight, but painfully clear for anybody that'd live here or have a good understanding of what it's doing.

He was angry but that was shoved to the back of his mind after he finally reached his destination. He appears to have arrived right as another doctor to help. He continued his earlier statement after arriving, "Although, I'm technically not a doctor, at least I don't refer to myself as one nor would I ask anyone else to, but with my knowledge of herbal remedies from the Elves of Falwood, I think I can be of some use here. My name is Xzaar Vixneel and I am a botanist that's proficient in combat."

He slid off of his horse, reached into his satchel and pulled out a small book and a pen before dipping it into a bottle of ink. He approached the mayor, keeping distance from him and Kiros. The mayor also looked as if they were afflicted with the disease, and even though he constructed his mask to filter out toxins via it's own natural methods, amplified to work rapidly with his magic, he's unsure how the disease works and if it'd leave the mask useless. "Please. tell us the symptoms, what you assume may be the cause, who was infected first and where their whereabouts might have been before symptoms started. Also, how long did it take for this plague to cripple the town?" He inquired him. ready to jot down the answers. Hopefully they took note of such things before all the help arrived.

(Think we should keep going to move stuff along? maybe they'd hop in after? or we can keep waiting Tera Lynx )

 

[Tera Lynx]

Two others arrived not long after her. She turned to face them while the mayor welcomed them. She was relieved that she wouldn't be working alone, a priest and an elf who both seemed to be interested in tackling the plague as well!
Some elf arts definitely wouldn't be amiss in this situation, elves were renowned for their abilities to heal illnesses as well as wounds. And of course Tera couldn't deny that her skill in medicine was a far cry from the magic of the divine, but the reason she was successful as a doctor was because her fee was smaller than what a magic user requires or a priest tithes, and her success record was about the same if not better than many magical and divine healers.

Even so, it seemed that she could very well be outmatched in the healing department amid these two... Fortunate for the village, slightly disappointing for Tera. Her skill in medicine was her only saving grace, she was physically quite useless otherwise.

The mayor gratefully greeted the two newcomers.
"Welcome to both of you! We're desperate for whatever help you can give us. Rest assured that when all of this is over we'll pay you handsomely for your services!"
Then he fell into a fit of coughing, turning his head and covering his mouth to avoid sending the plague their way.
But when his hand came away from his mouth it was flecked with a black bile substance.

Tera approached and stood beside the two arrivals, her eyes fixed on the the strange bile as she wracked her brains in an attempt to identify it, though all that came to mind was the sort found in the human body... But it was a good thing, how would it get to his lungs, why was he coughing it up?

The elder cleaned himself with a handkerchief.
"As you can see, some of the symptoms include coughing up this bile... I'm only recently showing these symptoms, but those of us who are the most sick are coughing up even more of this stuff, along with blood from coughing so much. the first to come down with it was Marcos, one of our hunters who was out in the forest... Went out that morning fine, came back with a nagging cough and couldn't say what brought it on. Now the worst of us are bedridden and go in and out of consciousness... This is why we need adventurers and mercenaries, our watchmen are all sick, we cannot protect ourselves like this from monsters and bandits and such. We are vulnerable, so any skills you have in dissuading anyone from bothering us will be most appreciated as well as your skills in healing."

Tera turned to the two newcomers.
"I'm Doctor Tera, pleased to meet both of you. I'm skilled in virology which is why I decided to take on this case. Any expertise either of you have will be very much appreciated as well."
Then she looked to the mayor, "Can you take us to see the sick now? I'd like to see these symptoms myself."
The mayor nodded, "Aye, but it's a sorry sight, you best keep your masks on." and with that he led them through the village.

 

[Kiros Rahnel]

He nodded at the words before his brows furrowed ever so slightly with worry at the mayor’s sudden bout of coughing. Kiros reflexively checked his own mask and adjusted it. Looking upon the mayor, his expression of worry shifted into concern at the sight of the sickly black substance now staining his hand. Whatever the ailment was, it appeared as terrible as he had been warned when taking the task.

Could it be arcane in nature? He doubted it was; while certainly possible, it was by all accounts unlikely. As little value as the question held, it was the only one that he could presently put to his own arcane ability of insight. He spoke a prayer softly in foreign tongue; invoking the spell which was likely indiscernible to all present. But the spell revealed nothing; and in doing so told him little more than what he had already expected; that the malady was not magical in the slightest. With his hopeful curiosity put aside, he continued to listen to the mayor’s words; telling him that his case was one of the more milder ones in the village, and that cases more grisly would await them.

“A troubling illness by mere sight; of no doubt it has been devastating. But I arrive with skills capable of addressing both concerns.” he spoke in assuring response. He’d likely be able to use his healing to aid the mayor’s symptoms; but he only held so much magic, and if worse cases were awaiting them it seemed best to assess them first.

But before he could mention his own concern for these infected, the other doctor spoke of it out loud. And the other in their company looked just as prepared, asking a flurry of questions with his pen-hand primed to record the answers. Kiros looked to the mayor again with a nod of agreement, and then checked and adjusted his mask a second time out of tact. Following behind the mayor with the group, he wondered just how bad a state these other inflicted would be in.

 

[Xzaar Vixneel]

Xzaar took one step back when the mayor started coughing. He couldn't afford his caution to falter for a second, especially considering what the they were just informed of. Xzaar began writing down the information that the mayor had provided; it wasn't much, but there were a few things that were relevant to take note of:

•The malady had infected the majority of the town in an astonishing, rapid pace.

● It's highly contagious and it somehow undermined efforts to contain it.

● Black bile. Possibly phlegm. It may be attacking the lungs in an abnormal way... Need further analysis. Maybe it's too much smoke or dirt inhalation.

The last theory didn't quite fit in his mind.

●...Watch out in the forest.

He glanced up as Tera turned to address them. Always a pleasure to see people skilled at their profession. He would've shook their hands if the circumstances had been favorable. "Greetings to the both of you. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this disease." With that, he followed alongside the others while keeping a good eight feet away, holding his book to analyse the infected.

 

[Tera Lynx]

The mayor led the way through the village to the house being used as an infirmary. The mayor himself pulled a scarf over his face as he opened the door... What lay inside was a horrid sight that tested Tera's fortitude as a doctor.
Men, women, and children lay on cots aligned in rows, the room was crowded holding over twenty people in this room alone, with other rooms and another infirmary house just as full.
Black stained towels were piled in an unwashed heap in the corner, the patients wore bibs in an attempt to keep them from coughing up all over themselves.
A few were vomiting this same substance plus the water that those well enough to care for them brought to them in an attempt to make them comfortable. A few of the patients in the more advanced stages of the plague were sporting large stains in their skin that wouldn't wash out, some blotting out whole limbs or half their face.

Tera took a shallow breath behind her mask and steeled herself with a concerned glance to her companions. Following the mayor she stepped into the house.

The mayor went on, his voice muffled behind his scarf.
"As I said, the Hunter that went out couldn't recall anything unusual, it's only been a few weeks but he's barely conscious enough to eat or drink. Not long after he returned people started falling sick and now we find ourselves in this predicament."

 

[Kiros Rahnel]

He followed close behind, ducking into the building shortly after the mayor with staff dragged along at his side. As soon as they arrived inside, his eyes scanned over the horrible scene before him. He continued forth in stiff strides as his head turned to look upon all infected in their varying states of severity. It was an odious sight, and one completely unfamiliar to him. It held not even the slightest similarity to any illness he had ever seen before. He took his time in visually examining all; some coughed while others retched. He couldn’t be sure if the disease took effect on the lungs or the stomach, but either seemed a fair first hypothesis given the displayed symptoms.

“I gather his case is of greatest severity?” he inquired. It would make sense to inspect the hunter first. The greatest amount of knowledge about the mysterious plague would likely be found on one who had suffered it’s greatest damage. He held some slim hope that the hunter might be saved; but the situation was dire, and Kiros was pragmatic. As grim as it was, his case was likely hopeless and little more than lesson that might prevent the progress of the disease in others.

It was hypothetical musing; he would need to see the victim himself firsthand before drawing any sort of conclusion.

 

[Xzaar Vixneel]

He's been in about three infirmary's before this and each of them tend to display a particularly gruesome sight that he'd never want to witness again. This one is... exceptionally horrid. Upon stepping into the room, he made a halt at the doorway and looked across the room in dismay. There is a second reason why infirnary's are not the ideal place for him and it's because Xzaar is an empath; the traumatic sights combined with the emotional distress and negative aura he'd feel is overwhelming at times. This is one of those times.

Black bile. Possibly phlegm. It may be attacking the lungs in an abnormal way

He scribbled everything except black bile out of that part. He's unsure if it's even affecting the lungs as they appear to be regurgitating large amounts of it. Perhaps it's attacking the stomach?

Ginger... maybe? Quell the vomitting..

He saw the stains on their skin, some surrounding the entire limb.

Aloe vera- No, witch hazel. Shit.
​

He wanted to grab some of the equipment he brought with him and try to alleviate their symptoms, but he certainly doesn't have enough to tend to them all. He'll save what he has on him to speak to patient zero like Kiro's had suggested incase he's too weak to speak like the mayor says.

●Unknown splotches mar the skin. Some engulf the entire area, such as a limb.

●The insidious disease infected patient zero supposedly without their knowledge. Theories include that he possibly came in contact with an infected animal after touching it's body

"Did your hunter happen to have caught any animals?"
​

 

[Tera Lynx]

In response to Xzaar the mayor shook his head, "He hadn't caught anything that day he fell ill. I'll take you to him, he's likely asleep, such as it is for sleep these days. The constant coughing and vomiting is exhausting for those with the plague."
Moving cautiously through the room and around the occupied cots the mayor led the group into another room.

While they walked by the sick Tera spoke her thoughts out loud. "Just because it was the day he fell ill doesn't mean that was the day he was afflicted... You can tell these people tried their best to isolate as soon as the plague began to spread, but in spite of their best efforts there are now precious few not afflicted. That indicates that the virus started out without symptoms as it quietly invaded... Half of the village could have been infected before the first patient started showing symptoms..."
She spoke aloud for the benefit of her companions, perhaps a different insight added to their own thoughts could set them all on the right path. The information they were receiving made as little sense to her as it did to them. Though Tera did have some theories besides what she said aloud...

In her studies of virology there was a course on supernatural diseases, including vampirism, lycanthropy, and their curse counterparts. A disease could be cured, a curse had to be exercised. A study on various gods and demons that dealt in diseases and curses followed that course. Beings with the capacity and tendency to create strange and supernatural afflictions.
A closer study of the plague had a thirty percent chance of revealing such things, and a study of the village itself could uncover any cultish presence of the afflictionists... In either case she was glad a priest was present, most supernatural afflictions we're seated in magic either arcane or spiritual and thus had opposing counter cures.

The mayor took them into the back room... A smaller room with fewer coats, but those on these cots looked... Bad... Just bad... Far worse than those in the larger room.
The theme of the black stained skin persisted here in its grotesquely sparse splatter patterns.
But these cases, about ten in total, were sporting spikey or tendril like growths on the stained parts of their bodies... One in the corner, the Hunter, seemed to be in the worst state... But the silence in this room was deafening compared to the other rooms. Not a single cough, and only an occasional vomit.

"We'd stopped trimming the growths when they started bleeding... We don't know what to do but to observe the patients and make them as comfortable as possible..."
The mayor shook his head sadly, there was little hope in his heart for these patients.
Then something else occurred to him.
"I don't know if this is important or not, but they all can keep food and medicine down just fine, they throw up water but that's about it besides the bile."

Tera was convinced at this point that this was no natural disease. Nothing in her studies came close to this.

 

[Kiros Rahnel]

“I can well imagine, having now seen the symptoms.” He commented in reply as he followed in along the group, careful of his step and his carried staff. He turned next to Tera with attention on her words as she spoke her thoughts. Her observation was wisely spoken and agreeable; indeed, it was best that they not make assumptions lest they waste what little precious time was available on false solutions.

Kiros strode on with slower steps until his pace came to a halt, with body held still in disbelief while his eyes processed the scene before him. While he had braced himself for a terrible sight, nothing he had imagined could prepare himself for the terrible state of the advanced infected. He gawked quite noticeably for a matter of seconds before catching himself and jolting from his formerly still posture towards of of the more grisly cases. No longer were his ears assailed by struggled coughs; but the silence was more disturbing than the former sounds of distress.

He noticed the growths a short moment before the mayor began to speak of them, his hidden disgust growing further on discovery that the sickly black tendrils held blood within them. While it was not uncommon for such growths to carry blood, these tendrils were far different in appearance and colour from these familiar cases. Nothing he had learned though medical study was of help in diagnosing the illness; no category of plague he knew of seemed fitting for the unusual symptoms the infected displayed. Without such academic wisdom to turn to for answers, it was prudent to turn to divine wisdom.

Perhaps it was magical, or perhaps the disease was an inflicted curse on the village. Were it so it would have evaded his immediate notice – he had no ability to passively sense such effects. But he could do so actively as unknown to all he was high priest of the goddess of ‘insight’.... apparently. Of the many words he might use to describe the spell, ‘reliable’ was not one. But were it a curse such might be revealed, and the incantation was certainly worth a shot. A soft spoken prayer and meditative focus on his attention wove the incantation over the sickly, protruding growths with his mind clear and primed to receive any such answer the spell might grant him.

But his waiting mind received no such message, and in the seconds that passed it became clear that none would come. Did that imply the illness was only physical, or were the results of his spell erroneous? Having noted the recent unreliability of the incantation, and with wise wisdom against the dangers of assumptions fresh in mind Kiros repeated his former prayer – striving harder to focus his spell of insight than in previous attempt. Were it not of supernatural origin he wanted to be sure; at least as much so as the situation might allow.

 

[Xzaar Vixneel]

●The insidious disease infected patient zero supposedly without their knowledge. Theories include that he possibly came in contact with an infected animal after touching it's body

Another theory struck down with several swipes of his pen. He didn't show it, but he was frustrated that none of his theories or hit the bullseye. HELL, missed the dartboard by a mile. Not only that, this investigation is piling up more questions than answers. They're completely in the dark with three damn blind folds on. Another furious swipe of the pen happened when Tera expressed her thoughts. She was right, and that caused him to just scribble out more things. Her comments were correct and welcome, but it wasn't liked. His notepad became what'd look like the canvas of a three year old artist after he was finished butchering it. Perhaps he took out the initial frustration on the poor thing. Luckily, he still has a few pages left.

The ominous silence the room had was noticeably worse than in the first, evident in the horrified expression on Kiro's as they entered; his demeanor was strictly formal until this moment. It's apparent to Xzaar that he is the epitome of professionalism, and that lapse in posture shows just how dire the situation.

The bleeding growths on their body purged any inkling that this is a natural disease. It doesn't match anything he's encountered or even heard of. This made even more it difficult. A curse perhaps? He didn't sense any unpleasant aura residue when he came here. Maybe he wasn't paying attention... Shit. The hunter didn't look he was in any condition to answer questions, so Xzaar didn't have have the heart to disturb. He's never been this clueless before in his life. He wanted to ask what the plan was... but asking that in public doesn't seem like the best move. So, in an effort for a quick time out...

"Comrades... maybe you'd be interested to discuss what we've learned?"

He tried to remain professional for the sake of not making the afflicted worried;

"In private."

Worried because he knows that they're all practically more clueless than when they stepped in here. Certainly, they must want to digest this as well.​

 

[Tera Lynx]

For the first time since she began her profession in ernest she felt an incredible urge to vomit. On a slightly closer inspection of the Hunter she could have sworn one of the tendrills wiggled of its own accord when he exhaled... With a nauseating feeling in her stomach she swallowed the urge.
The various event reports she read about Pandemonium came to mind. There was little doubt in her mind that some other being was responsible for this epidemic.

She glanced back at her companions again and noticed the priest praying. Maybe now they could get somewhere!
... Except the expression on his face wasn't promising. She didn't know what he was attempting but she patiently waited while he tried again.

Spoiler: Kiros prayer results

The prayer worked, but it didn't detect the supernatural... It was more like, whatever it was wasn't magical, curse, or supernatural... But rather something "Super Natural". Perhaps touching something on the druidic arts if Kiros was familiar with such things.
But this plague contained no magic.

The nurse caring for the worst cases, a middle aged woman with only milder symptoms who quietly coughed into a handkerchief approached the mayor.
"Joseph... I was just about to come find you... Have you noticed? They aren't coughing anymore, just vomiting... Could it be that they are getting better?"
The mayor suddenly seemed to notice how quiet it was in the room.
"... This is a new development... Rose, these three are healers, their here to help."
He then turned to the three of them hopefully, "Do you think it's so? This alleviation of the symptoms, could they be getting better?"

"Comrades... maybe you'd be interested to discuss what we've learned?"

He tried to remain professional for the sake of not making the afflicted worried;

"In private."

Tera nodded in agreement and saw his reasoning, then addressed the mayor, Joseph.
She tried to pretend that there was a reassuring smile behind her mask.
"It's too soon to tell. We've gathered a lot of information, is there someplace safe where I and my colleagues can compare notes and set up a clinic?"
The mayor nodded understandingly, though he likely didn't comprehend how lost they were.
"Of course, there's a building you can use just a short walk from here. It's been abandoned for years, so the plague hasn't touched it."

After another short trip they were finally alone in an empty house, the furniture covered in sheets. Perhaps the temporary residence of a Noble given the size of the two story house, the quality of the workmanship and the expensiveness of the covered furniture.

Tera removed her mask and glasses and pulled back her hood. Picking a seat on the covered sofa she let out a sigh and squeezed her eyes shut massaging her brow.
"Mutation? Drow fleshwarping? A demonic plague? Those tendrills and spikes were vestigial, they bleed when cut off because the patient is growing them themselves! And why only regurgitate water and bile? Normally food is the most difficult to keep down when sick and vomiting."
She looked up hopefully but incredulously at her companions. Up to now her face was covered by her crows mask, but now she showed her face. Blue eyes that required glasses because of nearsightedness, brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"It has no precedent that I've ever seen before. Maybe your arts can explain it better than I can?"

 

[Kiros Rahnel]

This time, he cleared his mind of doubt and willed himself to believe there was answer to be found; with any other such matters that might clutter his mind banished from it. Kiros held his focus, primed and waiting for any response that might shed light on the nature of the plague. This time the incantation held answer, and while it was seemingly innocuous it was one that had never given before.

This is not magic at all​

For a while he was stymied, with head tilted and brow furrowed in bewilderment at how to even interpret such a reply. As mere statement taken literally the message seemed clear; it told him the illness was not arcane. But to draw such a conclusion from the incantation's result would ignore a quality it held – one that had, up to now, been consistent through the many times he had invoked it. It had never overtly denied that the object of interest was non-magical before. In all such instances, the spell simply failed; and the failure implied the absence of the arcane. But if it was not magic, what made it worthy of response? The spell had granted him a scrap of information, and many more questions.

As he was musing over how to interpret the result, Xzaar spoke of exchanging knowledge, but doing so elsewhere. It seemed suitable; he only held a fragment of information from the spell, and together the three of them might be able to draw a clearer picture. Kiros looked to him with a nod, prepared to depart to location more private.

A nurse soon approached with another question to add to those the spell had given. The observation she made was wise, but the conclusion she drew was one he held doubt in. It could be a good sign, but far more likely was it to be a bad omen. Silence was no sign of health, and further still his spell had returned a peculiar response. Whatever was plaguing the village, he was certain it was not normal illness, and it was unlikely the afflicted were in recovery.

Yet the nurse looked with such hopeful pleading eyes, causing him to avert his gaze downward while preparing a response to give. He was already prepared to lie and affirm her hopes. He didn't desire to break them, and the lady clearly needed morale. Surely a white lie couldn't hurt? But Tera spoke before him, in terms far more neutral and diplomatic. Kiros simply affirmed with a nod; perhaps easier that it were handled that way. It was certainly made easier by the fact that another handled it.

He followed the others indoors, doing the same with the plain white sheet of cloth he had over his face. He was content to stand until Tera took a seat, prompting him to do likewise in tact. His staff was leaned on the floor and braced against his lap as he sat across from her. She seemed deep in thought, and he figured it best to hear them out first.

"No, I am certain it is not natural." He replied. She was apt in her inquiry; his prayer had been answered. What it meant however, was something he could still only guess at.

"It was cloudy, but my prayer was answered with insight. It is not magic, not curse...but neither does it seem normal illness. Not arcane or dark, but perhaps neither of the natural order of those matters material. But this is musing, and as I mentioned a clouded result." He explained. He took significant leniency in describing his own arcane art, largely to simplify matters. There was no need to bog them down in the nuances of his own clunky magic, he only needed to share what he knew.

 

[Xzaar Vixneel]

Xzaar's heart sank when the mayor asked them that question. Lying is normally a very easy thing for him to do. He's told several of them to get himself out of unsavory situations and he never cared about it. The difference between then and now is that investigating a sickness with lives on the line. The lies he spoke only held his own life in jeopardy, or they were trivial ones for personal gain. When the mayor asked this question, it was his first reaction to lie so he wouldn't feel hopeless, but he didn't. He wanted to offer them reassurance but how can he?

Luckily, Tera spoke so he didn't have to. Although, she lied as well. Not completely. They were white lies, which he still didn't like at the moment.

As soon as he stepped inside the new building, he saw a chair across from the couch and collapsed into it. "I know I said learned back there, but I didn't learn shit." The sight of the village both terrified and mentally exhausted him. "You know-" He removed the mask from his face in a brusque manner as it was itching him now, carelessly tossing it onto the table before him. "You know I don't have the faintest fuckin' idea of what this is. The stains remind me of vitiligo, but as for anything else I'm clueless!" He slumped back in his chair, hand splayed over his eyes as he released a deep sigh. "I don't know. I do not know. I wanna believe we can help these people, but I've never seen this before. Never seen one case even resembling this. If this was something we could've identified, I would've suggested looking for any clues at the hunting grounds, or closer around the village since infection could've happened there, but this thing is unknown, therefore dangerous."

 

[Tera Lynx]

She was afraid of this, the two magical healers didn't have any answers either, though she was interested to learn that this plague wasn't magical in any way.
But on the flip side... This meant they were dealing with something totally new, something virtually unknown... And as much as it was strange to admit it, Tera had been dreaming of a chance discovery like this!

As soon as he stepped inside the new building, he saw a chair across from the couch and collapsed into it. "I know I said learned back there, but I didn't learn shit." The sight of the village both terrified and mentally exhausted him. "You know-" He removed the mask from his face in a brusque manner as it was itching him now, carelessly tossing it onto the table before him. "You know I don't have the faintest fuckin' idea of what this is. The stains remind me of vitiligo, but as for anything else I'm clueless!" He slumped back in his chair, hand splayed over his eyes as he released a deep sigh. "I don't know. I do not know. I wanna believe we can help these people, but I've never seen this before. Never seen one case even resembling this. If this was something we could've identified, I would've suggested looking for any clues at the hunting grounds, or closer around the village since infection could've happened there, but this thing is unknown, therefore dangerous."

Tera took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly, "That's not entirely true... We've learned its symptoms, a bit of its incubation period and progression, it's virulence and part of how it's transmitted, it might have originated from somewhere in the woods, and it's not magical."
She put her glasses back on, she was in her element when it came to crisis such as this.
"For now we need a plan of action. We should locate any local medicinal herbs for starters incase our personal stocks run low, I'll ask the caretakers what medicines they've tried and what effect they've had on the patients. I think this building will be a good place to set up a clinic. We'll keep an example of each stage of the plague that we can find and treat them here individually, when we make a breakthrough we can administer it to those in the infirmary."

 

[Kiros Rahnel]

“I fear I have learned just as little, but let us not rush to fret. It may not be easy, but it is certainly neither impossible.” He responded, his tone carrying as much morale as he could muster. Truly, he remained disappointed in his own attempt to gain wisdom. While his incantation of insight had not failed him, he was cautious and hesitant to call such a result a success. That would imply that he obtained actual information, when he was still doing little more than taking guesses based on what little he held.

Tera's response was accurate; while they did not yet know what the illness truly was, they had managed to determine what it wasn't. While it was less preferable to gaining specific knowledge on what they were dealing with, it was a start at least. That it was neither magical nor natural had at least eliminated a great many possibilities of what it couldn't be. Whatever the true nature of the plague was, it was unlikely to bear similarity to anything he had seen or heard of.

“True, while we know not what it is, we hold hint of it's nature and origins. We might lack knowledge of this plague, we now know where further clue might be found.

And wise to do so, the diseased will need to be cared for. Anything we might do to delay it's progress would be a boon, for I fear time will become a precious resource. I must admit my inability to tend to so many through blessing alone. Should my blessings even prove effective against such malady” He concluded. The sights they had seen was worrisome, and he knew well of the limits of his own magic. While he may serve effective in restoring several to health should his magic serve effective, he would be unable to tend to all; his healing was far to inefficient for that. He further doubted that it would have effect; he had yet to try, but the plague looked grim. This looked like would be neither simple nor easy; but these poor afflicted held little other hope but he and the two with him.