[Venora] Memento Mori

78th of Ymiden 716

The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
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Alistair
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[Venora] Memento Mori

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78th of Ymiden, Arc 716

OOC: AGHHHHH IT'S A FREAKING JOB THREAD KILL ME

"I'm bleeding!" the man screamed. "Oh god, there's so much," he whimpered. The woman who brought him here began to pray to the Immortals beside him, as Alistair and Damien operated as quickly as they could. He wrapped bandages around the areas that were bleeding the most heavily, applying pressure to attempt to coagulate his blood. He had already bled so much, though - it was a while of bleeding before he had made it to Alistair for aid. A question one could ask was: how did all of this happen? How did Alistair get chosen to save this young man's life?

This man was a Knight, son of the House of Furdan. He had been employed by the House of Venora to investigate a rumored cult of aspiring Necromancers that had sprung up in the south near Lamonte, the 'city of love'. Lamonte was renowned for its drug usage, the party heavy lifestyle that accompanied such an artsy place, and also - less popularly - for its base of cultists who, through drug abuse and psychological grooming, went from fully respectable young men and women into fully-fledged ideological zealots within months.

This man, Willem de Furdan, had been sent to the suburbs of Lamonte to discover the source of these rumors and to put them to rest. He had been sent to gather information, nothing more, to his lonesome as an operation of due secrecy. But what he did not expect was that the source he had employed as a focal point of information and intelligence was indeed a member of the cult, and a die-hard one at that. He was a young and explorative man, and being of Venora, actions sexual and joyous in nature were considered acceptable on the job as long as it was completed. He engaged in the carnal act with this source of information, and while doing so, her "friends" burst in from both the window and door and pinned the man to the bed.

He had the icon of a skull carved into his chest, and was left to die. But he fought - crawled his way to his mother's handmaiden, who helped him battle death as they made their way to Alistair's dwelling in Lamonte. And with great fortune, he and Damien were here, for if not this man was certain to die. They had damaged his ribs with violent bashing, injured his head with a kick to the skull, and had ultimately caused violent bloodloss with the carving of his chest.

Worst of all: Alistair and Damien, his Lich mentor and occasional assistant in doctoring, could tell that one of the cult members was indeed a real Necromancer . . . for they had corroded some of his veins. His internal bleeding was greater than his external, and so they could only wrap up some of his chest with bandages, not all. They would have to open his chest and try to... somehow... cauterize the internal damage to prevent his hemorrhaging of blood.

"Woman, I need you to leave the room," Alistair told the handmaiden. She so boldly asked why, and the Surgeon gave her a dangerous glare. "Because if you don't, he's bloody going to fucking die. Leave, you cretin." She practially squeeked and frantically exited the room, shutting the door behind her. The man sighed.

"Damien, he's unconscious," the doctor said. "I know. You want to use magic to save him, don't you?" The Venora nodded. "It's the only way."
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Alistair
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[Venora] Memento Mori

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Alistair began to open the chest of the man. He saw the evidence of corrosion seeping through his flesh, with the skin and muscle of his upper abdomen being decayed from the outside. The corrosive energy leaked into his outer body and into his inner structure; he had some of his veins corroded, as well as some internal damage to his intestines. "Cutting through it is going to take too long, Alistair," the man said. The Necromancer frowned. "Right," he said. He applied his palm to the man's chest, using his own corrosion to burn through his skin and flesh so that Damien could gain visual access to his insides. This was hugely dangerous, but it was necessary. Alistair did his best to focus the corrosive energies, burning only the slightest gash at the top of his abdomen, directly the spot that had been seeped through by the other Necromancer who'd caused this wound.

The other mage lowered himself, inspecting the wounds inside of the patient's body. "Intestinal damage, as we suspected," he calculated correctly. "Corroded veins. Blood leaking internally. Alistair, this is beyond critical condition. He might not make it." The Venora grimaced, as Damien sighed. He focused his mind, energy flowing through him and intercepting the patient. Damien was nearly a master of abrogation, and so he could heal victims far quicker than Alistair could with his shabby tools. There was no way this man was going to survive without the use of magic. They both knew that.

Damien channeled his energy into the intestines, the severed veins, the flesh that had been cut through like butter. He channeled abrogation, beginning to repair the damage done and close the wounds. His bloodloss quickly reduced, though the doctor wasn't sure if it was via the healing or the fact that he had lost so much it could barely circulate. Damien moved his palm over to his lower abdomen, his eyes closed as he tried to distinguish between corroded flesh and otherwise. "Alistair," he called on the doctor's assistance. "Do you have Leechbane? He will die if not for a bloodbooster," Damien said. The doctor frantically ran through his bags, which carried his medical supplies. No. No. No. Nothing.

The man bursted through the door and ran into the entrance hall of the Furdan Estate where the man's mother was, weeping all over her handmaiden. "Lady Furdan!" the Venora exclaimed. "I need you to buy a bottle of Leechbane to boost the blood circulation and production in your son. Without it, he will die. There is an apothecary not far from here - it's across the way. Please, hurry." The doctor made his way back to the 'operating room' - in reality the man's bedroom - and looked to Damien for direction.

The man was dumbfounded. He was a skilled abrogationist, but he didn't have all that much more medical knowledge than Alistair. This was work that was cut out for a master of both surgery and medicine, not two entry-level career enthusiasts. Even after the Lichbane . . . what could be done? What-

"Lord Venora!" the mother exclaimed. "I have the Lichbane!" she yelled, causing for Damien to quirk an eyebrow. "Leechbane, I mean. Please take it!" The doctor took it from her hands and rushed to the patient. He opened the man's mouth, keeping his jaw pried wide as Damien forced the liquid down his throat. The patient made a gagging noise, but barely moved, and certainly did not regain consciousness. Alistair removed the mother from the room, as Damien continued to use his ethereal energy to supplement the man's recovery, via abrogation. Alistair observed with tension and anxiety, though he was interested in this use of magic for healing purposes. "You'll have to teach me that, later," he said.

"Soon," said Damien. "But not yet. Abrogation is primarily focused on anti-magic more than just healing and repairing. When we have mages we want to put it to use on, I'll teach you." The doctor nodded. That was fair. For now, such talk was inappropriate and dangerous if the man were to wake. Waiting was all they could do.
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Alistair
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[Venora] Memento Mori

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An hour later, almost nothing. His eyes had fluttered as he winced, and that was about all that had happened in the past fourty five bits. The mother and her handmaiden were allowed back into the room, praying for their son and Lord. Alistair stared out the window as Damien made conversation with the father of the household, the man demanding results for the protection of his son. His sisters were arriving via carriage, the Venora could see them bolting out of the wagon and towards the house.

. . .

An hour after that, silence. It was very late - everyone was growing tired. The man had chosen to try and bed his intelligence operative near midnight in a shabby motel room, after all. It was . . . three past midnight, now. The doctor yawned, and the sisters slept alongside their brother in the large bed as the mother and father stared from across the room. Damien was wide awake, as he needed not sleep. The handmaiden had been sent to bed, and the crickets chattered about as night had come.

After another hour of the same old nothing, the man woke for but a moment. His consciousness seemed to flicker, waxing and waning. But he looked into his mother's eyes and turned his head slightly to see one of his sisters. He spoke two words alone, "I'm okay," before night consumed him again. The parents freaked out enthusiastically, declaring that he was saved. The sisters woke up and joined in the festivities.

In the morning, after barely any sleep between all of the parties present, the man finally fully awoke. He stared at Alistair and his companion for what had to be a dozen bits before he said anything. His family eagerly awaited his words. Finally, when he did speak, it was directed at the Lord and doctor who had saved him. "Lord Alistair of Venora," he called his name. The Necromancer nodded slightly. "You are a good man, to take me on so late at night when I and Clarise came to you in my time of need. I have heard rumors about you - the name "Wilted Rose" attached to you as if you're so grave an individual. But I do not feel that way after this night, Lord Alistair. You stayed with me all hours of the night, straying from sleep. You brought me from the brink of death into life, one I would not have had without you." He smiled faintly as he spoke, and his mother and father both agreed.

The Venora felt bad - if only because Damien was the greatest contributor to his health - but he was willing to take the credit, knowing the Lich did not mind. He nodded his head. "I will be Lord of House Furdan one day, and I will have you know that I shall forever consider you one of my dearest friends, a man I owe my life to. I am sure my father and mother feel the same."

And they did. The rest of the day was spent gloriously feasting, celebrating, the two paying a tithe to Alistair for his services and declaring their love for House Venora. It was a joyous occasion, with Grandmother Ebony writing a letter to Alistair commending his work in saving the young one's life. But it was not without the undertone of anxiety, for him, and also the thought - would this not further expand upon the hatred and fear of Necromancers in the Kingdom? Would Alistair be discovered for his use of Necromancy in this very operation? It was unlikely, if not impossible, but he still worried.

This moment also grew into an interest - of Abrogation, of the secrets Damien had kept from his apprentice that could have greatly augmented his capabilities. He would have to discuss these things soon. For now, cest la vie.
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[Venora] Memento Mori

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Peer Reviewed: Rewards!
Alistair


Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/ 5 (solo thread)
Structure: 5/ 5
Knowledge:

Basic
Intelligence: When undercover, never drop your guard
Medicine: Blood looks like a lot, even when there's not lots.
Medicine: When there is a lot of blood, it looks dreadful
Medicine: Leechbane: Uses
Surgery: Opening the patient
Politics: Isn't it funny how the noble lord always gets the praise?
Location: Lamonte: The City of Love
Willem de Furdan: Works for House Venora
Willem de Furdan: Hired to investigate rumours of necromancers
Willem de Furdan: Young and foolish

Specialised
Lamonte: Has a much darker side
Abrogation: Can be used with surgery very effectively
Leechbane: Can take a long time to work with extreme wounds
Medicine: Internal bleeding is much more serious than external
Necromancy: The use of corrosion in surgical procedures is extremely dangerous
Andraska Venora: would have helped in this social situation.

Loot:
as this is a job thread, that will be determined by the city mod.
Fame:
General bad deed (-2) being very rude to the poor scared handmaiden, Act of Magic (-2), New Medical Procedure x2 (+4) so negates out. General Good Deed (+2)

Overview:

General comments.A fascinating thread that focused on the NPC Damien quiet a bit - it was really intriguing to see how he did, how calm he remained and how Alistair fell into the role of almost being his assistant. I love their relationship and really enjoy reading it!
Story A well written and fast paced story. All good! I look forward to reading more of Alistair and Damien.
Structure No issues at all.

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Life, Death and the In-Between .
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