Ashling found a pen and made a few notes in the ledger. A mid-sized birch-barked tünawa with hair of tangled small twigs was given several drops of anti-winter potion. She was excited to see what would happen! The next note was about Jaspers approach. The Aesir summoned a fire spirit in their power and warmed the room up. Ashling found the process fascinating and so was Jasper’s explantion of Eldloga. A spririt that could support and enhance the effect of healing! It seemed promising.
Ashling's methods were down to earth ... and being down to earth might be a good thing when healing tünawa as well as when tending to plants. Her "abilities" consisted only of her own experience and her mother's ledger about tünawa medicine. As Sol had told her, this ledger was far from exhaustive. Ashling knew that it didn't mean guaranteed success. But, she hoped that she would at least be able to share knowledge with the other two and contribute to the work. She also hoped that she would be able to add new findings to the ledger.
"I'll try to wake up the tiniest tünawa."
Ashling looked at the small being one more time before she pulled out the ledger from the backpack and began browsing it. Her attitude was realistic. She was a master hedge doctor with a lot of experience in fieldcraft and knowledge about plants, but it didn’t make her a wonder-healer. The memory of her meeting with Jarl Namdalen in Ashan last arc came to her mind. She had failed at healing the jarl and just riled him up with diet suggestions. Tristan had healed him instead, by brilliant alchemy. Now, she watched him give the “Birch” a few drops of the anti-winter potion. It wouldn’t surprise her if i would have an instant effect.
But, Ashling ought to contribute to this by more than mere watching. She thought of nature and what she had learnt from it. She had seen dormant plants wake up in the springs like they mysteriously knew that the winter over. There were a few plants that woke up very early, even while the ground still was covered by snow. Those plants were without any exception small. There was the Winter Aconite, no higher than six inches (15 cm) and appearing with yellow flowers and many bright green leaves and in late winter or very early in the spring. Another low and early plant was the Snowdrop, about the same height as the Aconite, but with white flowers and sparse greyish-green foliage. Both plants used to form blossoming carpets under the trees in the forest where they were growing like wildflowers. Could these plants and their natural slow waking up process tell her something about the tünawa?
Ashling understood that it might be a far-fetched idea to look for knowledge from nature, but it was what she often did. Once in a while, it could be useful. She looked at the tiny tünawa. Judging from its colours, teal and white, it seemed to have more likeness with the Snowdrop than with the Aconite. The Snowdrop was not at all a rare plant. It was common almost everywhere in Melrath. Ashling had picked it many times during her life. First, she had made bouquets of the small white flowers, for her mother. Sol had used to put them in a small glass vase on the kitchen table. Later, Ashling had learnt about the plant’s medicinal properties. It was one of the many medicinal plants that could toxic as well as beneficial. Among other things, it could be used for treating paralysis by restoring the connection between nerves and muscles. It could help against nerve inflammations and traumatic damage to the nerves. But, it was important to be careful. An overdose would cause a row of unpleasant symptoms, like for example vertigo, nausea, drooling and palpitation.
Ashling didn’t know whether this applied to tünawa or not. She browsed the whole ledger, looking for keywords like Snowdrop, Paralysis, Trauma and Dormant ... and finally, she found some notes about a hypothesis on dormant tünawa. The tünawa were in some ways similar to plants. And it was best to wake dormant plants up slowly. If they would be forced to wake up too quickly it could harm them and be fatal to the plant. Sol wondered if it might be the same with dormant tünawa.
She desired to share this with the others as it seemed important. “Tristan, Jasper here’s a note saying that dormant plants must be woken up slowly. A rude awakening can harm them or even kill them. My mother writes that she wonders if this applies to tünawa too. “
Ashling continued browsing the ledger and her gaze fell on a passage about the freeze. People and animals used to react by “fight or flight” when something scared them. But, there was one more reaction. The “freeze” response can happen when people feel unable to take on a threat they aren’t able to escape. Then, their bodies go still, unable to move and ... “freeze”. People may lose contact with their bodies and it can be like when animals “play dead” hoping that a threat will go away. The “frozen” gains the benefit of getting to block out a scary experience. Could this happen to tünawa as well? Sol’ange had found the question interesting for future research but had no answers. She had jotted it down nonetheless. There were also a few musings about potentially helpful treatments.
Splash cold water on their face
Make them inhale a strong scent, for example, peppermint
Let them look at pictures of important people and animals they know
Rub their hands together
Make them craft with their hands
Make them stroke a soft and soothing object
Let them listen to music
Looking at the small beings laying there immovable she dismissed everything that included making them use their small hands. Splashing cold water on their terrified little faces seemed like a bad idea. It wouldn’t be a soft awakening at all. So ... she decided to let the tiniest tünawa inhale the scent of the peppermint oil she had in the healing kit, hold it close assuming her body and the knitted wool sweater would serve as the soft and warm object. She would also sing a calm and sweet song for it.
Without further ado, she gave the tiny teal being a whiff of peppermint. Then she picked it up, held it in her arms like a miniature baby and began singing.
Ashling's methods were down to earth ... and being down to earth might be a good thing when healing tünawa as well as when tending to plants. Her "abilities" consisted only of her own experience and her mother's ledger about tünawa medicine. As Sol had told her, this ledger was far from exhaustive. Ashling knew that it didn't mean guaranteed success. But, she hoped that she would at least be able to share knowledge with the other two and contribute to the work. She also hoped that she would be able to add new findings to the ledger.
"I'll try to wake up the tiniest tünawa."
Ashling looked at the small being one more time before she pulled out the ledger from the backpack and began browsing it. Her attitude was realistic. She was a master hedge doctor with a lot of experience in fieldcraft and knowledge about plants, but it didn’t make her a wonder-healer. The memory of her meeting with Jarl Namdalen in Ashan last arc came to her mind. She had failed at healing the jarl and just riled him up with diet suggestions. Tristan had healed him instead, by brilliant alchemy. Now, she watched him give the “Birch” a few drops of the anti-winter potion. It wouldn’t surprise her if i would have an instant effect.
But, Ashling ought to contribute to this by more than mere watching. She thought of nature and what she had learnt from it. She had seen dormant plants wake up in the springs like they mysteriously knew that the winter over. There were a few plants that woke up very early, even while the ground still was covered by snow. Those plants were without any exception small. There was the Winter Aconite, no higher than six inches (15 cm) and appearing with yellow flowers and many bright green leaves and in late winter or very early in the spring. Another low and early plant was the Snowdrop, about the same height as the Aconite, but with white flowers and sparse greyish-green foliage. Both plants used to form blossoming carpets under the trees in the forest where they were growing like wildflowers. Could these plants and their natural slow waking up process tell her something about the tünawa?
Ashling understood that it might be a far-fetched idea to look for knowledge from nature, but it was what she often did. Once in a while, it could be useful. She looked at the tiny tünawa. Judging from its colours, teal and white, it seemed to have more likeness with the Snowdrop than with the Aconite. The Snowdrop was not at all a rare plant. It was common almost everywhere in Melrath. Ashling had picked it many times during her life. First, she had made bouquets of the small white flowers, for her mother. Sol had used to put them in a small glass vase on the kitchen table. Later, Ashling had learnt about the plant’s medicinal properties. It was one of the many medicinal plants that could toxic as well as beneficial. Among other things, it could be used for treating paralysis by restoring the connection between nerves and muscles. It could help against nerve inflammations and traumatic damage to the nerves. But, it was important to be careful. An overdose would cause a row of unpleasant symptoms, like for example vertigo, nausea, drooling and palpitation.
Ashling didn’t know whether this applied to tünawa or not. She browsed the whole ledger, looking for keywords like Snowdrop, Paralysis, Trauma and Dormant ... and finally, she found some notes about a hypothesis on dormant tünawa. The tünawa were in some ways similar to plants. And it was best to wake dormant plants up slowly. If they would be forced to wake up too quickly it could harm them and be fatal to the plant. Sol wondered if it might be the same with dormant tünawa.
She desired to share this with the others as it seemed important. “Tristan, Jasper here’s a note saying that dormant plants must be woken up slowly. A rude awakening can harm them or even kill them. My mother writes that she wonders if this applies to tünawa too. “
Ashling continued browsing the ledger and her gaze fell on a passage about the freeze. People and animals used to react by “fight or flight” when something scared them. But, there was one more reaction. The “freeze” response can happen when people feel unable to take on a threat they aren’t able to escape. Then, their bodies go still, unable to move and ... “freeze”. People may lose contact with their bodies and it can be like when animals “play dead” hoping that a threat will go away. The “frozen” gains the benefit of getting to block out a scary experience. Could this happen to tünawa as well? Sol’ange had found the question interesting for future research but had no answers. She had jotted it down nonetheless. There were also a few musings about potentially helpful treatments.
Splash cold water on their face
Make them inhale a strong scent, for example, peppermint
Let them look at pictures of important people and animals they know
Rub their hands together
Make them craft with their hands
Make them stroke a soft and soothing object
Let them listen to music
Looking at the small beings laying there immovable she dismissed everything that included making them use their small hands. Splashing cold water on their terrified little faces seemed like a bad idea. It wouldn’t be a soft awakening at all. So ... she decided to let the tiniest tünawa inhale the scent of the peppermint oil she had in the healing kit, hold it close assuming her body and the knitted wool sweater would serve as the soft and warm object. She would also sing a calm and sweet song for it.
Without further ado, she gave the tiny teal being a whiff of peppermint. Then she picked it up, held it in her arms like a miniature baby and began singing.
