• Memory • [Mature] The Power of Music

[Sei'rue]

75th Ymiden, 713

After she had used the strange ability she seemed to have to cure the other slave child's cold, it had taken five full trials for her to regain the strength she needed to get back to work. Only totrial was she strong enough to get up and begin working once more. During those five trials, Master Lars had come to examine her several times a trial to see if he could figure out what the strange ability she had was. He had informed her that while the masters were not happy that she was unable to work, the ability she had was of great interest to them. For that reason, they had decided to delay the punishment she had earned by not fulfilling her duties while she was too weak to work until they had had a chance to learn more about the ability she had.

When it was time for her to be assigned her first task for the trial, she was told that she was to report to the ship's clinic where she would be working for Master Lars again. Since she had been told that she would have to keep an eye on the infused oils she had started making the last time she had worked in the ship's clinic, she thought that part of what she would be doing totrial was checking on those remedies. As she walked towards the ship's clinic, she wondered if the five trials that she had failed to check on them had damaged them in any way. If they were ruined due to her failure to check on them, she would have to be punished for that as well.

"Do you remember what to look for when you check the infused oils you started the last time you were here?" Master Lars demanded as soon as she entered the clinic.

"Yes, Master Lars." she said quietly.

"Good. Go check on them now then."

She scrambled to obey the order she had been given. As she checked on the jars filled with oil and herbs, she found a few where some of the herbs had floated to the top of the jars. She used a stirring rod to push them back down to the bottom of the jar they were in once more. As she did so, she could feel Master Lars's eyes on her. Knowing that he was watching to see if she made any mistakes made her very nervous, but she ignored the feeling as best she could until the task was finished.

"Orik is going to come here later so we can try and figure out the extent of the ability that you have. Until then, you will be working here. How do you feel?"

The question confused her, making her freeze with hesitation. Masters did not ask slaves how they were feeling. Masters had no reason to care how their slaves felt. She was uncertain how to answer, so she remained silent for the trill, and hoped that she would not be punished for failing to answer the question quickly enough.

"After you healed the sick slave, it looked as though you were the one who was sick with a cold. Do you still feel sick? You don't look flushed anymore."

Now the question made more sense, and she could understand why Master Lars had asked it. She took a few trills to consider how she felt before responding. She didn't feel like she had a fever right now, but she didn't have any energy, and her nose was stuffed up. When she told Master Lars how she felt, he nodded.

"We'll have to keep an eye on that, then. If you had transferred the cold to yourself when you healed the sick slave, you would be feeling better by now since most colds don't last for more than five trials or so. That means that the way you feel must have something to do with the way your ability works."

She didn't know how to respond to that, so she remained silent. Fortunately, it didn't seem as though Master Lars was expecting an answer, because he continued speaking.

"You seemed to do pretty well making the infused oils, so I'll teach you how to make another type of herbal remedy totrial."

"Yes, Master Lars.

[Sei'rue]

75th Ymiden, 713

Master Lars went to get some paper and a pen and set them on the table beside her.

"Use those if you think that you will need to take notes in order to remember what I am about to tell you."

At his expectant look, she nodded to show that she had understood his order.

"An herbal poultice is a paste that is made out of herbs, plants, and other substances that have healing properties. It is meant for external use only. Other remedies are meant for internal use."

At her confused look, he sighed and tried again.

"That means that they are meant to be consumed. Herbal syrups are a good example of this. And there are some that can be used both internally and externally. Do you understand?"

She had been carefully copying his words down, but she paused long enough to nod when he asked if she understood what he was saying.

"Yes, Master Lars."

"Good. Now, back to herbal poultices. Poultices are placed on the skin, or the wound that they are meant to treat. This is what it means to be used externally. They are good because they can help draw foreign material out of the skin or a wound. Another important thing to know about herbal poultices is that the temperature of an herbal poultice can change the benefits it has. A poultice that is either warm or hot will help to increase circulation to the area. On the other hand, a cold poultice will help soothe inflammation. Do you understand what I've told you so far?"

"Yes, Master Lars."

"Explain it to me then. What is an herbal poultice?"

She frantically thought back through everything Master Lars had told her. She also looked at her notes as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"It is a paste made of herbs, plants, and other substances that have healing properties. You are supposed to put it on the wound that you are trying to treat."

She hesitated and looked at her notes again.

"Poultices can help draw foreign material out of the skin or a wound."

She didn't know what "foreign material" they were supposed to draw out, but she remembered that that was what Master Lars had said.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, Master Lars. The temperature of an herbal poultice can change the benefits it has. A warm poultice will help to increase circulation to the area."

She froze when he frowned in annoyance. It was obvious that she had said something wrong. She looked through the notes that she had written to see what her mistake was.

"A hot poultice will do that too." she added hastily.

Master Lars nodded.

"Go on."

"A cold poultice will help soothe inflammation."

"Anything else?"

"No, Master Lars."

She froze when he frowned again.

"There was more, but it wasn't specific to poultices, so I suppose it doesn't matter that you missed it. Take better notes in the future so you won't miss anything that you are told."

"Yes, Master Lars."

"Are you ready to continue?"

"Yes, Master Lars." she said immediately.

"Making a poultice is very simple. They can be made with both fresh and dried herbs. There are a number of ways to make them, but the idea is to mash your herbs into a thick pulpy paste and apply it to the wound. One way is to place fresh or dried herbs into a muslin bag and tie a knot at the top, soak it in a bowl of hot water, and and knead it for a minute to warm and soften the herbs."

She carefully took notes on what Master Lars was telling her so that she would be able to remember it later.

"Another way is to mix fresh or dried herbs with just enough cold or hot water to moisten the plant matter. Then mash the mixture to a pulp and spread the thick paste directly on the skin. You would then wrap the poultice with muslin, cheesecloth, or gauze to hold it in place."

Master Lars paused to see if she was paying attention. When he saw that she was, he continued.

"You can use a mortar and pestle to mash your herbs, but this isn't strictly necessary. A spoon can be used for this instead; or anything else you may have handy that can be used to mash your herbs. Some people prefer to pour hot water over their herbs and allow the mixture to cool down to the desired temperature in order to bring out the best qualities of the herbs that they are using, but again, this isn't strictly necessary, and there may not be time to do that depending on the situation. I myself prefer to do that when I have the time to do so. Do you understand what I am saying so far?"

"Yes, Master Lars."

"If you are using fresh herbs to make your poultice, you can use a teaspoon of water to help the mixture to form a paste, but this is also not strictly necessary. If you do not have any water, the natural juices of the herbs themselves will be enough. On the other hand, if you are using dried herbs, water will be needed. So. Tell me how to make a poultice."

Her head swam with the information she had been given. But she took a few bits to consult her notes and try to get everything sorted in her head.

"Poultices can be made out of fresh herbs or dried ones. The herbs must be mashed into a paste with whatever tool you choose before placing them on the wound. They are then held in place using muslin, cheesecloth, or gauze. Water can be used to help form the paste if you are using fresh herbs, but it is only really needed if you are using dried herbs." she said quietly.

There had been a lot of other information, but the rest of it had all seemed to be different ways to do the same thing so she didn't include it in her explanation. But when Master Lars frowned, her mind raced as she tried to figure out what she had left out.

"Is that all?" he asked her?

There was something to do with temperature...but when she looked at her notes quickly all she could see was that hot or warm poultices had different benefits than cold ones did, and that didn't have anything to do with actually making a poultice. Or did it? Then she saw something else.

"Using hot water to make the poultice will bring out the best qualities of the herbs, so it's good to do that if you can. Then you can let the poultice cool down to the temperature you want?"

Master Lars nodded.

"There are four other things to keep in mind. Different herbs can be used to make a poultice, and each herb offers different benefits. You will learn more about that later if I think you are able to handle it. The second thing is that when making a poultice you have to decide how many herbs to use. There isn't a set amount like there would be if you were following a recipe. You want enough to make enough paste to cover the area you need it to cover thickly, but using too much is just a waste of herbs, and that is worthy of punishment. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Lars."

As before, she took notes to help her remember what she was learning.

"Good. Another thing to remember is that unlike most other remedies, you make a poultice only when it is needed immediately. Other remedies like salves, syrups, and infused oils can be stored until you need them. Even teas can be stored as packets of dried herbs that you pour water over when you need to make them. But you can't do that with a poultice. Finally, when you apply a poultice, you leave it on the affected area for anywhere from twenty bits to three breaks. What did I just say?"

"Poultices have to be used immediately so they can't be stored like other remedies can be. When you apply one, you leave it on for twenty bits to three breaks."

She carefully wrote that down too. She wasn't sure how to know whether a poultice should be left on for twenty bits, three breaks, or anything in between. Or which herbs could be used to make a poultice and why one should be used instead of a different one. Nor did she know why a poultice couldn't be stored; just that it couldn't be. She didn't even know what wounds a poultice could be used on, and what they couldn't be used on. There was a lot that she didn't know, and she didn't dare to ask. But she thought that she would be able to make a poultice if she needed to as long as someone told her which herbs to use.

[Sei'rue]

75th Ymiden, 713

"Do you think you are ready to try making a poultice now? I don't have enough extra herbs to allow you to try it more than once since poultices can't be stored, but it would be a good idea for you to get some experience in actually making them." Master Lars told her.

She considered the question. There was so much that she didn't know about poultices, but then again, if Master Lars told her exactly what to use the way he had when she'd made the infused oils the last time she worked for him, then it wouldn't matter if she didn't know which herbs to use. And since they weren't actually going to use the poultice she made, it wouldn't matter that she didn't know how long to apply the poultice for. So she nodded. But before she could answer the question verbally, Master Orik and Master Lyron burst into the clinic. They were helping to support a badly limping Master Lysar as they half carried him into the clinic. Master Lysar was bleeding heavily from a nasty looking wound on his right leg.

"Lysar!"

Master Lars was at the others' side in a trill, helping them to get Master Lysar settled onto one of the exam tables.

"What happened?" he demanded worriedly as he began examining Master Lysar.

"Lysar was helping some of the crew who were fishing since we're at sea and he's not needed on a raid. One of the younger crew was learning how to fish, and there was an accident. He was trying to cast his line and his fishing hook somehow managed to get embedded in Lysar's leg." Master Lyron told him.

She watched in silence while Master Lars treated Master Lysar's injury. But once he had removed the fishing hook and cleaned out the injury, Master Orik stopped him from doing anything else. Instead, he turned to her.

"Come over here." he ordered sharply.

She obeyed quickly.

"Heal him."

She froze, wide eyed with fear. She had no idea how she was supposed to do that. The one time she had used her healing ability, it had happened on its own more than anything else. All she had done was to do as the feeling deep within her prompted her to do. And it had cured a cold. This was a serious injury. Would her ability even work on it, or did it only work on illnesses? For that matter, did it work only on minor things like colds, or could it heal something that was worse than that? She had no choice but to try.

The last time she had used the ability, she had been touching the slave's arm. Slaves did not touch their masters. But she had been ordered to heal Master Lysar. So she very hesitantly edged over to the exam table and touched Master Lysar's arm. When he scowled at her, she almost pulled away, but Master Lars told him that she had touched the slave that she had healed too, so although he glared at her, he allowed it.

She had been humming the last time she had healed someone too, so she started humming now. She felt the feeling rise up within her once more, and she focused on that to the exclusion of all else. She didn't try to direct the feeling at all, she simply focused on it. And it seemed to work. The wound on Master Lysar's leg closed and vanished. When it was done, there was no sign that he had ever been injured at all. Pain seared through her right leg, and it buckled under her weight. She stared at her leg in confusion. There was no sign of injury, but it felt like she had been injured. She still felt like she had a cold too. Master Lars had said that it could be a part of the way her ability worked, and she realized that it was probably true. Exhaustion kept her from even trying to stand up again. This too had happened the last time she had used her ability, and it had taken five full trials for her to get her strength back.

"It worked." Master Orik said in satisfaction.

The four of them turned to stare at her.

"She collapsed like this the last time she used her ability too." Master Lars told the others as he moved to examine her and make sure she wasn't injured now in Lysar's place.

"And if this is anything like the last time, she won't be good for anything else for five trials." he added when he was certain that she wasn't injured.

"Hmm. Well, at least we know that the ability works on injuries as well as illnesses." Master Orik mused.

He turned back to Master Lysar.

"And you don't feel any lingering pain, or anything?" he asked.

Master Lysar shook his head.

"My leg's fine now."

He stood and put weight on his newly healed leg to prove it.

"Take her to the slave hold and let her get the rest she clearly needs. There's no point in keeping her here when she's in this state." Master Orik told Master Lars.

She was so tired that she could barely keep up with what was being said. Master Lars picked her up, being careful not to jostle her "injured" leg as he did so.

"That's a very useful ability that you have. We will have to test its limits, but it's quite possible that you may be able to save someone's life with that ability some trial." he told her as he carried her out of the clinic and towards the slave hold.

[Doran]

Sei'rue:

Knowledge:

Skill Knowledges
Endurance: Using the Healing Song ability is exhausting
Medicine; Herbal Remedies: some are meant for external use, others for internal use, and some can be used both ways
Medicine; Herbal Remedies: an herbal poultice is a paste made of herbs, plants, and other substances that have healing properties that is meant for external use
Medicine; Herbal Remedies: poultices can help draw foreign material out of the skin or a wound
Medicine; Herbal Remedies: the temperature of an herbal poultice can change the benefits it has; a warm or hot poultice will help to increase circulation to the area while a cold poultice will help soothe inflammation
Medicine; Herbal Remedies: how to make an herbal poultice

Non Skill Knowledges
Healing Song: After using this ability, Sei’rue is too weak for anything but complete bedrest for five trials
Healing Song: can be used to heal injuries as well as illnesses

Loot: -
Lost: -
Wealth: -

Injuries: Sei'rue used her Healing Song ability. She will require five full trials of bed rest to recover, and she will feel the pain of the injury (a fish hook embedded in someone's leg) for thirty five trials, but she is not actually injured herself.

Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

- - -

Comments: I appreciate that you mentioned what happened in the previous thread and provided your readers with a bit of background information. That makes it easier to understand what is going on now!

In my opinion, this thread here constituted a good mixture of herbalism and Sei’rue’s masters trying to solve the mystery of her ability. Your writing flowed well and was easy to read.

OOCly, I already know that Sei’rue is a Mortalborn, of course, but I still enjoyed reading about her masters trying to find out what is going on.

I wonder how exactly that crew member managed to catch Master Lysar’s leg rather than a fish.

Poor Master Lysar! I’m glad that Sei’rue managed to heal his injury, even though it obviously cost her, and I wonder how exactly her masters will test the limits of her ability in the future!

Your knowledges were all appropriate in my opinion, but I wasn’t at all sure about the wording of the following two:

Endurance: the exhaustion caused by her healing ability
Healing Song: she is too weak for anything else but complete bed rest for five trials after using this ability

The way that you worded them, they sounded more like consequences/injuries than knowledges to me.

For that reason, I decided to change them to the following:

Endurance: Using the Healing Song ability is exhausting
Healing Song: After using this ability, Sei’rue is too weak for anything but complete bedrest for five trials

While I appreciate that you added a “mature” tag to the thread, you didn’t warn about slavery in the review request. Sei’rue is 11 and a slave in this thread.

This definitely requires a warning!

You’ve been told to add the appropriate warnings to your review requests before. Please remember to do so in the future!

There are people that might be uncomfortable with topics such as slavery, and child slavery in particular, for example.

Enjoy your rewards, and let me know if you have any questions, please!