Open Chronicles Verchtegid Medicaments and Wellbeing

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

In the Shallows of Alliria there had stood for decades a public house of healing, run by a long line of witches whose sole focus was on aiding the poor and underserved of the district. It had been a wooden home on a stone foundation, always threatening to sink into the mire, accessible by the raised wooden walkways that linked most of the eastern docklands together. Aderyn had spent the latter half of her childhood in that house with her grandmother before inheriting it and the position as a valued leader in the community. She couldn't attend Elbion, but she could at least care for the people she had grown up with.

Two years ago, though, the house burned down during the Siege of Alliria. Whether it was by the attackers or the locals, on purpose or by accident, Aderyn did not know. She had been too busy tending to the wounded to protect her property. It was just a thing, anyway - or, perhaps more accurately, a great many things, but things nonetheless.

Eventually, she made herself a new home on the ground floor of a townhouse, renting the space and maintaining the residence above for the owner whenever he was away from the city for a long period of time, an often occurrence.

Decades of work to perfect the shop could not be regained quickly, however, nor without great cost. She was gone much of the year to build up her stock of rarities, especially those things which most merchants didn't carry much of in their ignorance of true wellness.

Aderyn had regretted the last two years of her waning leadership in the community. It felt like a betrayal of her mother, her grandmother, and the Shallows themselves. Her name was still known, yes, but how many fell ill when she was on her way to Dornoch and back for a month, or in the Falwood for two?

But that was then, and now was now. Now, she was in Alliria for the foreseeable future. Her landlord was away on business but had local affairs to manage all the same alongside his home. She had to attend to those as much as her patients.

It was on her way down the stairs from the upper residence, having cleaned it top to bottom, that she realized she could finally take a breath and sit in her little shop and wait to be called upon by those in need. She had supplies of all manner of crystal and stone, herb and spice, blood and sinew - whatever was needed by the people of the Shallows. She had her zither, fiddle, and gittern for when the pain was deeper in the soul such that even correcting one's aura with physical treatments was insufficient.

She had her medicines, her stones, her hands and tongue; she had every possible instrument of her trade, though perhaps the former in smaller quantities than the latter. No matter, though, her music and voice could make up for that.

"I'm so sorry to leave you waiting," she said cheerfully as she came through the door and saw a portly, ambiguously-gendered dwarf leaning against the table. "Did you have an order to pick up already?"

The dwarf shook their head and grunted, "My head's been off, lass; in a bad way since my ship came in, bosun told me to come here."

"Oh, dear me! Are you in Alliria often? No, of course not, this is probably just some small sickness from the new surrounds." She set about to putting together a small packet for them. "You will burn this in close confines, try to breathe in as much as possible but not so much that you cough. Coughing expels the smoke and dilutes the effect."

She tied the packet together with a thin string and handed it to them.

"Before you go, though, please take this piece of fluorite in your hands."

When the dwarf did so, she clasped her hands around theirs and leaned in close to touch her forehead to theirs. She whispered, "Feel the calming influence of this crystal in your heart and mind, and accept its healing power into your soul."

As she did so, she tapped - unconsciously - into a stored well of Charity to heal the dwarf's ailment, though having no certain idea of what it was. The magic would do as she intended regardless of her understanding (or lack thereof) of what it was that she was doing. The use of her Charity, though, affected her deeply itself, and any thought of making a profit from this dwarf left her head as she spoke.

"The fluorine will direct the smoke's properties to the core of your ailment, so keep in contact with it."

The dwarf accepted both parts of the treatment and took a step back from her. "Thank you, lass. How much do I owe you?"

"However much you have to spare to fine." She had no choice but to say that. She hadn't wanted to, at first, but now it was as though her very nature demanded she serve at her own expense, even though deeper down she knew that it was no way to run a business. "All I ask is that you return the crystal to me before you set out again. It will be sapped of its power anyway and won't be of any use to you."

She thanked them in return as the dwarf placed a silver coin on the table, and then led them back to the door.

"And rest," she cautioned. "All healing begins with rest."

 

[Hector]

The door came open, and a tall broad shouldered woman, well-worn cloak across her shoulders, stepped into new 'Tegid's. A younger looking elf, with one of his long ears half missing and golden brown skin, fast behind her. He too, wore a well-worn cloak.

"Well," Marta said as she looked over the shop. "Looks like the place is coming along nice like, Aderyn," she looked at the dwarf as he passed them by, little packet in his hand. She gave him a polite nod.

As did the young elf.

Marta had been there during the siege. Helped rid the shallows of the undead infestation that plagued the place long after. Was sad to see the old house go down in smoke. But, nothing to be done about it but carry on.

The young elf peered about, his inquisitive eyes happy to see such a sight.

"Still charging too little for yer services I take it," Marta grinned as she milled about, looking over bits and bobs, bundles of herbs and strings of stones.

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

The dwarf passed Marta and her elf companion with a grunt - not an impolite one, if Aderyn could read dwarves correctly, but a grunt nonetheless. Aderyn smiled as the two entered, pleased as ever to see a familiar face even if she didn't personally know that much about her. Such was the way of a community healer; everyone knew you but you just had to be really good with faces.

"Thank you, Marta," she said, pushing some of her hair back behind an ear only for nearly all of it to fall back into place as she looked down at the small mortar on her table. She placed a small stone in it alongside some nettle and half a clove of garlic to prepare an order that had been dropped off in the morning. Picking up the pestle, she started grinding the components together, her wrists visibly straining as she ground the stone.

"I don't intend to undercharge, I promise. Something sometimes just... tells me I have to. Who am I to defy the natural spirits?" She shrugged, breathing out heavily and applying more force to the pestle. "I'm sure some charitable soul will help me with my stock if it comes to it.... I'm sorry, what were you needing today? I trust you're both in good form; no breaks, bruises, or blood?"

Hector

 

[Hector]

Marta looked over the stock, and smirked. "A woman that needs to pay rent," she nod, and looked over to the well meaning healer.

The young elf nod in response to her quick list. "Tip top, miss, all things considered," he said warmly.

"Aye, just, looking to stock up, and, well," she looked about the shop again. "See how things were treatin ya," her eyes came back to Aderyn, and she smiled, a little warmer for it. A gloved hand dug into her cloak pocket, and pulled from it a list.

Anti-poisons
Antitoxins
Blood thickener
Wound sealer

"Was hoping you could help us with some of this, and well, might we can help haul in some new stock for ya?"

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

Aderyn put aside her tools and wiped her hands on the front of her smock before reaching out to take the list.

"Poisons, venoms, and toxins... not a problem, plenty of that around," she said, tilting her chin in the direction of a particular cupboard. "Blood thickener and wound sealant both need to be prepped, though. I have a little bit on hand in case someone walks in about to die from loss but that's it."

She turned to rummage through a couple of cabinets, glass jars clinking against each other as she shifted them around. "Crushed kaolinite works well poured over a wound; it'll absorb the blood and kind of clay up helping to seal the wound. Whatever gets into the body should help thicken things generally."

Eventually she found what she was looking for, an off-white chunk of rough-hewn rock, soft and earthy and large enough to require both hands. She set it down on the table, eliciting a gentle thump and casting some loose granules over the surface.

"However much you want of it, I guess," she said, shaking her head and gesturing toward it, her eyes focused on the table as though looking away would steal her line of thought.

"I can grind it down for you and mix in some herbs to promote better healing. The kaolin alone works well on stomach upsets too, so that's double the value if you can afford to spare some for that. Triple, really, since it'd help with the sealer in a good, clean resin.... I might need help replacing it, though; there's no quarry near here to get it easy and I lose out on trade a lot to potters and the like. They buy in well more bulk than I can afford and are usually gone before I can talk them into some charity."

Sighing, Aderyn looked back up at them, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, that was probably more than you needed to know."

Hector

 

[Marta Martigan]

Marta grinned. "You get all that, Hector?"

At some point in the explanation, Hector had taken out his journal, and with a well loved stick of charcoal, the thing near a nub in his steady hand, he had scratched down some notations. "Um, one moment," he added, as the last scratches of his stick came across the folium. A proud nod. "There, yes, I... believe I've gotten it all," he looked up and smiled at the vendor.

Marta laughed. "Hopeless," she added, then looked back to Aderyn. "But, no trouble at all, Addie, the squire here got a free lesson out of it, and, well, might we can help you fetch more of this, kaolinite to replenish your stock,"

Hector nod. "Could see if any of our connections out east might be feeling, charitable,"

Marta rubbed her shoulder, and craned her neck. "One way to go about it," her lips pulled back to reveal a hungry smile. "But, either way, we'll see that you get more of this here, rock, Addie, rest assured," she nod. "How much for a few vials of that herb mix you mentioned? And some resin to boot?"

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

"You could always try to convince some of the Inner City that keeping people's fluids on the inside is more important than some new sets of plates but imagine that's a losing proposition if those people are here," Aderyn said.

She rifled through a messy stack of papers until she found a small notebook loosely bound in just a handful of string loops. "Umm, their weight in silver is the usual. A bag of the medicine with a liberal amount of the clay dust for one use."

To illustrate her point, she reached under her apron, pulled out one such bag - a round, bulging thing of cheap, coarse cloth tied at the top with dried reeds twisted around each other into the smallest of ropes - and it onto the table. It fell with a greater thud than the rock itself had "That's about the size I aim for, it'll handle most punctures below a siege crossbow. "

Aderyn snapped her fingers and grabbed a greenish glass jar, the cheap kind one would often find in the Shallows, and placed it in front of Marta. "And this resin should do. It's hard to separate into smaller amounts so if you buy the whole thing that'd be better all around. I'd say...."

Her eyes darted upward as she pretended to do some calculations in her head. She didn't actually have any solid figures in mind, certainly not for the entire container, but looking like she did always seemed to net better results. Her right thumb tapped systematically on its sister fingers as though counting.

"Five? Gold, I mean, whichever coinage you got unless it's one of those really small ones like from Bhathairk. How orcs don't lose them right through their fingers I do not understand."

Marta Martigan

 

[Marta Martigan]

There again was the smirk across Marta's face. "Five gold," she nod. Sifted through her coin purse. "Now, that sounds like a price that will help you keep the roof over your head," she added, and put the five pieces of gold upon the counter in a neatly stacked pile. "Allirian, of course," she said with some odd pride. She'd always liked the Trade City's coinage. Felt good in the hand. Better jumbled together in the purse.

Marta eyed the healer as she worked. craned her neck and rubbed at the hairs there.

"Guess you're right about the Inner City potters," she said with a smirk. "Could try talking some sense into them," she looked back at the door to the shop. "Have any you feel might be a little soft on ya?" she smiled.

Hector was still snooping around the reagents and tools that were laid about, his charcoal quick to scratch down little drawings of things his eye found interesting, or his mind thought might be useful.

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

"Thanks much," Aderyn said as she slid the coins away. She considered Marta's question carefully, knowing full well that she could probably find someone. Maybe they didn't know yet that they had a heart-felt twinge of some kind in her direction, but she could certainly draw it out given the right circumstances and the right crystal or incense or oil.

She smiled and replied, "Oh, I can adjust someone's aura enough to soften up if they give me the chance. They just... need to give me the time of day first. And for some reason they never come here in the their spare time, I can't imagine why."

With a few packets of herbs tied up, she turned to Hector, having noting him poking around. "Anything of interest? Do you have any healing or alchemical background?"

Marta Martigan

 

[Hector]

Marta grinned. "Witchy woman," she said with some pride. Gave a nod of her approval, "I'll see if I can't convince one of them lot to come pay a visit then,"

when Aderyn turned her attention toward Hector, the young man straightened up. Surprise behind the look of his eye if only for a moment. "Oh, I," he cleared his throat, and found himself smiling. "I have some learning in the healing magicks, and, well, how to brew a few potions," he rubbed the back of his neck some.

"Not quite sure I'd call that an... alchemical background though," he laughed some. Remembered the first part of her question. "And," he started. Nod after a moment to think. "I was just thinking how this sample of swift root reminds me of the sort we'd find back home,"

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

Aderyn studied Hector for a moment, trying to figure out where "back home" was without having to ask. She liked to be seen as a worldly person - she'd certainly traveled enough for it - but everyone sort of blended together for her after awhile. Cities, too; the Shallows were forever etched into her heart and her bones, but every other city was just a place easily moved on from and relegated to the past.

Eventually, she said, "Oh, I imagine there's not that many kinds really. Ours probably came from... back there, anyway. You don't really see any wild growth here. Where are you from, anyway? How did you two meet?"

She went back to grinding some more of the powder and lacing it with the herbal remedy as she asked. There was, after all, still work to do.

Hector

 

[Hector]

Hector gave a blink.

Back there.

He smiled nervously. "The Valen," he offered.

Marta grunt. "The Wilds, West of the Spine he is," she smirked, raised her head up with a bit of pride. "Young man's a squire," she looked back to Aderyn, who was busy with her work. "But, we'll get out of your hair, Addie, and go see if we can get one of them potters to come pay you a visit," she nod to Hector, and motioned her head toward the door, then made her way to the exit. A wave over her shoulder to the shopkeep.

Hector cleared his throat, and bowed to the kindly woman. "A pleasure, Healer Aderyn," he rose, lips curled up pleasnt at their corners. "Mayhaps you can teach me some about your craft at another time?" he looked over his shoulder, saw Marta already rounding the door, and hurried off. Long stride quick to put him in Marta's wake.

---

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Hanoi]

Amidst her travels, Hanoi, in her purple, revealing, silk clothing, finds herself in the Shallows of Alliria. It was not the cleanest town, so many filthy beggars and urchins just running about, it made her sick. But she was here now, and she should start picking up work right now, dancing and entertaining crowds with a little bit of pleasure to those who are looking for a good time. Such is her life as a dancer by day/evening, and a courtesan by night (well, she might do it during the day too). It is the only life she has ever known, having lived on the streets and getting by by imitating the dance moves of her mother from her homeland in Vel Anir and other court/street performers. It wasn't until she was 20 she began selling herself for extra money, and then sometimes the occasional picking of a pocket or two.

She looked through her pouch, needing a quick boost in stamina for tonight. She was herself a very strong woman, but in her line of work, she could use all the stamina she could get. She usually drinks a bottle of a mixture of a very strong herb from her homeland and a strong liquor, and during those night jobs, she mixes it with another liquid, made from exotic berries as an aphrodisiac. She was unfortunately almost out of such items, and she was going to need them to make money tonight. Fortunately, she stopped in front of a shop. She looked inside, and determined that this was a herbalist, perfect to refill her mixtures. She opens the door and sees herself inside, her bare feet quietly pattering on the floor. She looks around the shop looking at all sorts of herbs that are around. She passes two gentlemen that seem to have finished business with her. Perhaps she can show them a good time later. She walks up to the herbalist, taking out her pouch with the almost empty bottles and some gold and silver coins from her work.

"Excuse me, miss". She starts off, trying to be as polite as someone raised in the gutters. "I have run out of these elixirs, which I need for my work tonight. I was hoping if you had the herbs I need to make them, and perhaps something to protect me down there, my line of work is, shall we say, intensive".

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

Aderyn saw off her customers, men of the standard Shallows variety in the business of various draughts to induce sleep and staunch wounds. They were well-dressed for what she assumed their work was, but knew better than to make any kind of assumptions on the subject.

Behind them came yet another well-dressed - in quality, anyway, and certainly not in quantity - would-be customer. She was beautiful, Aderyn couldn't help but notice, though her eyes were very quickly drawn to the floor at Hanoi's feet. A wave of concern washed over her; between the ever-present broken glass and the parasite worms living in puddles of dirty water, this was not the place to walk about without foot protection.

Hanoi spoke before Aderyn could warn her, though, and the thought quickly evaporated in favor of finding solutions as asked.

"The potions, though... do you know any of the specifics?" She picked up the bottles and sniffed at them carefully one at a time, trying to pick up their ingredients. One had such a powerful smell of alcohol that she couldn't pick up any of the notes behind it. She took a sample of it and let the flavors circulate until memories clicked into place.

She spat it out onto the floor and held up her finger to tell Hanoi to wait a minute, and began quickly diving through various cupboards and jars.

"When you say protect you, do you mean from physical harm or from...," she paused to find a more euphemistic phrasing. "From long-term consequences of work? I can do both but they're very distinct."

Hanoi

 

[Hanoi]

“I’m afraid I don’t remember the name of the plant, but what I remember, this is a very common herb from Vel Anir, it increases stamina, mixed with some liquor to relieve the bitterness it brings. The other one is a mixture of water and wild berries, bought from a traveling merchant. I’m sorry to say I don’t know which, but they are very good aphrodisiacs”. As the herbalist was scrambling through the cupboards and jars that she had, Hanoi simply leaned against the table, resting her weary feet. Noticing the filth around, she would have to wash up later, that is if she can find the money or resources to do so. The herbalist posed the question, trying to phrase the question as to not be crude. Hanoi can only chuckle.

"That would be the latter miss. My lifestyle is not glamorous and very dangerous, but I am not weak. Doing what I can to survive I suppose".

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

"No worries at all, I think I know what you're looking for. In the absolute worst case, I have plenty of alternatives that work just as well."

Aderyn tossed some dry berries and herbs into a mortar and started grinding them together. The speed with which she worked seemed beyond what a normal person was capable of, but it was precise and perfect in its pulverization of the ingredients. She poured the fine powder into one of Hanoi's bottles and followed it up with an orange liquor.

"The flavor won't be the same, but the results should be. Now, where is that... ah, yes!"

She pulled out a talisman, onyx and chrysocolla twists tied together with copper wire. "Protection and new beginnings. Keep it on you at all times. Then take this powder in the mid-morning in something strong, liquor or wine."

She threaded a leather thong through a loose bit of the talisman's wire and placed it on the table alongside a small paper packet.

"And you should be set. If you don't mind me asking, where were you planning on working tonight? You seem new to the area."

Hanoi

 

[Hanoi]

"Thank you very much, no doubt this will be very useful tonight". She takes a good look at all the other items that Aderyn prescribed to her, the talisman and the twists were interestingly new, and hoped it would help her in her line of work, especially in the morning after. As Hanoi picked up her coin pouch to pay the herbalist, the question was posed to her.

"My travels brought me around here, just recently in fact. I have good hopes to find a few taverns with good music, and good, strong men. Although, I'm not too opposed to dancing on the streets and giving companionship to the lonely adventurer, looking for some company from a beautiful, well-endowed, lady like me. I don't mind honestly. Keeps me fed and in a nice warm bed. Better than most nights where I just sleep on the streets, cold, hungry, and filthy. You won't believe ". She finishes nonchalantly as if she was commenting on the weather. After regaling the herbalist with her sob story (not that she herself would care for much), She looks through her pouch of gold and silver coins.

"So miss, how much do I owe ya?"

Aderyn Verchtegid

 

[Aderyn Verchtegid]

Aderyn was unfazed by how casually Hanoi spoke of her lifestyle. It wasn't the same as when she was a child and growing up with her mother who did similar work but between those memories and the care Aderyn had provided for such laborers since she took over the shop, it was hardly something new. The streets, though, were abysmal and Aderyn hoped to save her from that.

"Ten of whatever silver you've got should suffice, or as near as you can afford," she said, holding out a tray for Hanoi to drop the coins onto. It was her standard method of charge, covering ingredients and time spent and barely anything more. "You know, there's a tavern about two streets down. Nice place for the Shallows, a little rowdy but usually good for work. I perform there often, myself, if the night is still young when I close."

She quickly added, "As a musician, I mean. Drums, strings, maybe a little dancing. It generally covers whatever losses I take here."

Hanoi

 

[Hanoi]

“Oh, a musician I see?” Hanoi replies as she tosses the 10 silver coins she had into the tray. “Perhaps we will see each other, and you can accompany me and see me dance my way into the hearts, and beds, of good strong men, or women. I don’t really care. As long as they pay well, I’ll show them some fun”. She collects the items she was given and places them in her pouch. She then stands back up, her bare feet silently pattering on the floor. She opens up the bottle of the elixir she designated for stamina, taking a swig of the potion.

“This should be good to last me. Thanks for the supplies, and the locale of the tavern. I shall make myself there tonight. A lady’s got to rest of course”.

Aderyn Verchtegid