forum Help me out- Running an experiment

Started November 22, 2023 by @EldritchHorror-Davadio health_and_safety emoji_events

tune

Dark had fallen over Archetoth. Between the sunset and the blizzard, visibility on the streets was near impossible. Most folks had hunkered down in their homes, warm and well-stocked, to wait out the storm.
But the apartment in the loft of the livery was empty, and the Elvish house built in the branches of the stone elm on the outskirts of town was missing its inhabitant. That meant Lucky and Arcturus were somewhere out in the storm, or stuck at someone else’s place.
Romulus was out to find them.
The Protectors keep watch over the people of the Empire, acting as a blend of military and police. Foreign threats and domestic threats both came under their jurisdiction. As Captain of the local division, Romulus was responsible for the safety of the people in and around Archetoth and the few surrounding small towns and farms. There wasn’t often much crime to crack down, so his job mainly consisted of keeping the peace by settling the occasional dispute, as well as things like today: making sure the citizens were safe from the blizzard.
His was picking his way from door to door, knocking and making sure everyone was home and warm, when he got to Doc Berg’s office. The young doctor lived there, his medical offices an extension of his house. Romulus knocked and was glad to find it was Arcturus who opened the door. “Well, hey there, my Elvish friend. Glad to see you’re in out of the cold.”
“Come on in, Captain.” Doc’s voice called from further in, and Romulus took the invitation, stomping snow off his boots before stepping through the door. Arcturus stepped around him and closed the door quickly against the cold wind.
Doc looked up at the Captain. 6’6”, 350lbs of muscle, platinum blonde and blue-eyed, Romulus Vespasian was an intimidating enough figure to keep crime down by his presence alone. “Just making house calls?”
Romulus nodded, pulling off the scarf around his neck and face for a moment so he could speak more clearly. “Yes sir, just making sure everyone is safe.” He continued brushing snow off the woolen overcoat of his uniform. “You have any idea where Lucky is?” He looked up then, and noticed the girl, lying unconscious on the exam table. His brow furrowed as he stepped over. “I’m sorry Doc, didn’t realize you had a patient.” He didn’t recognize the pale face, and was about to ask, when Doc answered his questions.
“Well, Lucky should be heading back from Varakun now with more athelas extract for me. I know I shouldn’t have sent him in this weather, but… she needed it and he was willing.” The young doctor looked back down at his patient. “Arthur and some of the Wulves found her out in the snow on the plains, and Lucky brought her in. No idea who she is, but she’s got carathiniasis, and I’m going to help her.” The resolve in Franklyn’s voice left no room for arguments about helping strangers with deadly diseases, and Romulus just nodded slowly.
“Any identification on her? Papers, belongings, tattoos, marks, brandings?”
Franklyn shrugged. “She’s got quite a lot of scars, and a birthmark on her wrist that looks like it might have been put there magically. But nothing with a name.”
Romulus nodded, his frown deepening. Lots of scars was a bad sign, especially with something as vicious as carathiniasis. “Well… I’ve got to wait on Lucky anyway. May as well stick around here. Has she woken up at all?”
Franklyn shook his head. “Not so far. I didn’t have enough of the meds to completely kick the curse out of her system. And even once I do, it’ll be a little bit before she’s up and moving.” He looked at Romulus, before nodding at a chair by the table Arcturus was sitting at. “Have a seat. Something you’re worried about?”
Romulus sat down, thinking carefully. “Either she’s the victim of a crime, or an escaped convict of some kind with a penalty on her head. Few other situations would equal finding her out on the plains with a curse sickness and scars. I’d like to know which one.” He pulled his gauntlets off and set them on the table. “Besides, it’s cold out there.”
………
An hour passed, with Romulus and Arcturus talking quietly, discussing politics and other things to distract them from the situation at hand. A dying young girl and their distressed young doctor made for a somber atmosphere, and the quiet Elf’s presence didn’t help. Romulus managed to lighten the mood a bit, and after a few minutes, Franklyn was glad for his presence.
There was a thump outside, and Lucky stumbled through the door, clasping a sack in his shaking hands. He was covered in snow and ice, but he managed to close the door behind him. “G-got the m-meds.” His teeth were right on the edge of chattering, and both Doc and Romulus were on their feet quickly, stepping towards him as he stumbled. Romulus caught Lucky, and Franklyn caught the sack of athelas extract before Lucky’s numb hands dropped it.
“Whoa, there, buddy. Let’s get you warmed up.” Romulus half-carried Lucky over to the fire, and pulled up one of the wooden chairs for him. The courier settled into it heavily, his legs too tired to keep him up. “Arcturus, can you-“ Romulus didn’t finish what he was saying, as the Elf came around the corner with towels and a blanket. As Arcturus set to work warming Lucky up, Romulus glanced out the window, where SInjoro was pawing at the snow. “I’ll get your horse down to the livery.” Romulus said, before glancing over at Franklyn.
The doctor was warming a bottle of tincture, rubbing it in his hands quickly, just to make sure it wasn’t frozen in any way. He was focused on his task, and wasn’t asking for help, so Romulus took the opportunity to step out. He pulled his warm clothes back on over his uniform, before trudging out into the snow to get Sinjoro in out of the cold.
Arcturus mumbled a couple phrases in Elvish, and while Lucky could speak the language, he wasn’t sure what the Elf said. Whatever it was, he suddenly felt warmth beginning to suffuse through him, starting from where Arcturus had his hand on Lucky’s shoulder. The fire helped, and the towel was nice as the snow and ice began to melt, but the Elf warming him was definitely speeding the process. Within a minute or two, he was warm enough to be able to stop thinking about how cold he was. Which left him space in his head to think about his mission.
He glanced up as Franklyn set an empty tincture bottle on the table next to him with a quiet clink. The doctor opened another one, and was gently making sure the girl drank it, pouring tiny sips and stroking her throat to simulate swallowing.
Lucky hoped it would work.
…..
The weird gray light had flickered and darkened a few times. It felt like she’d been in this odd liminal space for eons, and also like she’d just got here.
The string of memories had played out around her a few times by now, and she’d had to hide herself from the darker stories in her head. So it was with a sense of relief that she was able to latch onto something new in the endless grey.
There was a sense of warmth, and the sensation of thirst, and Valiel realized she could feel her body again. Her memories began to reorganize back to some semblance of normal, and she grabbed at the last one.
Falling into the snow, her legs numb, her chest squeezing painfully as she tried to breathe. A long while, and then someone talking to her.
Someone found me… She had a vague recollection of praying for help, but she had no clue who she’d been found by. Her consciousness was slowly returning, and she became aware of more sensations and sounds.
She was indeed warm, and dry, and thirsty. The emptiness in the pit of her stomach yawned as she realized she was hungry too. There was something soft covering her, like a blanket, and with a start, she realized there was someone touching her neck. The touch was gentle, but firm, a stroking motion that made her swallow, almost involuntarily. There was an odd taste in her mouth, and the quiet murmur of voices around her.
She opened her eyes slowly, squinting a bit in the warmer light of the office. After her brightly lit dreams, and however long out on the bright white plains, the lamplight of the office felt dark to her.
She started just a bit as she looked into the face of a young man, leaning over her.

….……
You help me decide what happens next.
In a whisper, give me your vote for one of the following options:

1. Consternate
2. Succor

Franklyn kept working, gently coaxing the girl to swallow the athelas extract. It was slow going, but he’d cultivated patience a long time ago. Arcturus was handling Lucky, so he was free to focus on his patient.
The last measure of tincture worked its way down her throat, and there was a change in her breathing. Franklyn kept helping her swallow, just to make sure all of the medicine got taken. He was checking her breathing patterns when her eyes fluttered open. She started, a slight jerk back that signaled he’d surprised her. He smiled at her, noting her eyes seemed clear, If tired.
They were also purple. I’ve never seen purple eyes before…
“Hey, easy there, it’s ok. You’re among friends.”
Her eyes widened as she turned her head to look around, and she froze when she saw Lucky and Arcturus over by the fire, watching her.
Valiel’s tired mind spun for a moment, taking in the fact that she was surrounded by men. Kind-looking men, but looks could be deceiving. Two humans and an Elf, it looked like. She started to try to move, and realized 2 things.
One, her arms and legs were still leaden and unresponsive.
Two, she wasn’t wearing her clothes under the blanket.
The second realization in particular made her heart sink, and old fears reared their heads. “Who are you?” She turned to stare at the one who had spoken to her. He’d sat back so he wasn’t right in her face anymore, which was nice, but… all it took was for one of them to grab the blanket, and she’d be exposed, helpless… Memories of similar situations swirled through her head, and she shut her eyes tight, trying to push them back.
“My name is Franklyn Berg. I’m a doctor, and you were brought to me for medical care.” Franklyn spoke softly, slowly, so she’d be able to understand him despite the sickness still working its way out of her body. Her words had a fairly thick accent to them, so Westron clearly wasn’t her usual choice of language. He could tell something was upsetting her, so he thought quickly. “You had collapsed out in the fields outside of our town, and some of my friends brought you to me. You’re quite sick, though I’m sure you knew that.” He stood up and walked over to where her clothes were drying on a small rack near the fireplace. “We have your things, or at least what we found you with. Everything is safe, you’re safe here, and we’re going to help you.”
Valiel swallowed hard, trying to quell the rising panic in her chest. She opened her eyes as the doctor explained himself. She could turn her head, which was good, and looking around answered the question of where her clothes were. They hadn’t hidden them, or destroyed them, or anything like that. Wouldn’t be the first time…
“And who are they?” She glanced at the human and Elf by the fire. Franklyn looked at them, and the human smiled kindly.
“My name is Lucky, ma’am. I’m an Imperial Courier, and Doc needed my help getting you some medicine.” He tipped his head towards the fire. “I was just warming up; I can leave if you’d like me to.”
The Elf gave a slight bow, and when he spoke, Valiel noted the slight lilt that all native Elvish speakers had on their Westron. “My name is Arcturus Thenuviel, milady. I was just here to escape the storm.”
Valiel frowned just a second, before looking for a window. She found one, and a single glance out revealed nothing but blowing snow in the dark of evening. She was still looking at the window when a large shadow passed it, and then there was a loud noise as someone came through the outside door. There was a heavy curtain between the exam room and the entrance way, and Valiel couldn’t see him, but she could hear the solidity and heaviness in his steps, as he stomped snow off his boots.
Franklyn saw the girl’s eyes widen as she turned to look at the curtain. She seemed to be very frightened, and it didn’t get better when the massive form of Romulus pushed through the curtain.
“How’s she doi-… Oh, hello.” Romulus started to ask how she was, when he stepped through and caught sight of her, staring at him with abject fear writing itself across her face.
For Valiel, the appearance of a massive man, much stronger and more powerful than her, while she was vulnerable, triggered several uncomfortable memories and feelings. She tried to scramble away from him, but her body wouldn’t respond. She was warm, she could feel that, but it was like her limbs were still cold and numb.
Lucky saw that reaction and immediately stood. He was a bit wobbly on his legs, but he stepped around the table and reached up to pat Romulus’s shoulder. “Hey, can you help me get down to the livery? I don’t think I’ll make it alone.”
Romulus nodded quickly, looking at the cowering girl in concern. “Yeah, of course.” He glanced at Doc, who nodded quickly, and then turned to help Lucky down the street.
Arcturus watched them go, glad that Lucky had made a quick move. Romulus inspired fear in a lot of people. He watched as the girl relaxed a little as the big blonde left the office.
“You’re safe friend. That’s our Captain. He looks scary but he won’t hurt you.” Arcturus spoke quietly, gently. Meanwhile, Franklyn had hurried to the side room, and was back with another small bottle, as well as a steaming cup of tea. This time, he tipped a tablet out of the bottle.
“Here. Take this, it’ll help you move a bit sooner.” He offered her the little white tablet. “Lissuin powder. The tea is mint. A bit boring, but warm.” He smiled, an open, honest smile, as far as Valiel could tell, but…
“Why should I trust you?” She glanced at the curtain, making sure the big one was gone, and then looked at the Elf. No one was moving to make her take the pill.
Franklyn thought for a moment, before shrugging a bit. “There’s lots of reasons I could give you, but… at the end of it all, it comes down to what you can tell about us. We haven’t harmed you; you’re in out of the storm; you’re healthier than when you came in here; and we’re not out to harm you, or we’d have done it while you were unconscious.” He held the tablet closer. “But I know none of that makes a difference until we’ve proved ourselves. So take a chance; take the pill, and wait till it does what I say it will.”
Valiel watched him. There was no pretense behind his words, no threat. Just logic, and a clear empathy. He was right; she wouldn’t trust them even with all of that.
Only one way to know… Antherias, help me…
She nodded slowly, looking at the tablet. Franklyn leaned forward and dropped it into her mouth, before slowly pouring just a little bit of warm tea down her throat to wash it down.
There was a quiet moment, and then, almost immediately, Valiel felt a weight drop off her limbs. She lifted a shaking hand out from under the blanket to look at it, before looking up at the doctor. “Thank you.”

….……
You help me decide what happens next.
In a whisper, give me your vote for one of the following options:

1. Far and Away
2. Till the Storm Passes By

Fyurnik’s boots crunching in the snow was a sound he was getting used to hearing. This blasted frigid north climate was not to his liking, not at all. But Chief said they had to make do for the time being, so that’s what he was going to do.
He scurried up to the large tent, where Burbulg and Clundor were standing guard. The two muscley hammer-head goblins frowned down at him, their breath steaming in the cold. “Whadya want, runt?”
Fyurnik looked past the flap of the tent for just a second, his large cap fluttering in the wind. “Chief sent for me, fellas. Lemme pass.” Clundor growled deep in his chest, but stepped aside and opened the flap to let the diminutive gnome pass by.
Fyurnik scuttled inside the dark tent, where it was much warmer. He hurried over to an iron coal cage, where a heap of coals was smoldering, providing the heat and the small amount of light in the tent. “You sent for me, Chief?”
Across the tent, sitting on a heap of furs and pelts, was a dark figure. Long legged, tall, with black skin and ivory white hair, the Dark Elf was always a bit intimidating to Fyurnik. “I did, my little friend. Had a question for you.” Chief’s voice, sibilant, almost a whisper, was unsettling. Fyurnik gulped, before turning to face the Dark Elf.
“What, uh… what can I do for you?”
Chief leaned forward. “You know the mark you put on that Skin-changer girl? The one that would supposedly burn out when she did?”
Fyurnik nodded quickly. “”Yes, sir. It should have gone out by now, especially in this storm. I’m sure she didn’t survi-“ He was cut short as Chief held up a small wood talisman, which was glowing brightly, a nice healthy orange. “Wha- Chief, I-… I swear, I did the mark right, it’s-“ He didn’t want to suggest that the girl had somehow survived the curse the Chief had put on her, but… his mark wasn’t the problem.
The tall Dark Elf stood, and in one step, was across the tent and towering over the gnome. He leaned down, getting dangerously close, close enough for Fyurnik to see his glimmering fangs. “You’re sure you did the mark right, Fyurnik? Positively certain?” His voice was so low, a whisper that made Fyurnik shiver at the intimacy of it and at the intimidation of it. The gnome composed himself, and frantically nodded yes.
There was a long pause, before Chief stood up. “Well. Then somehow, some way, that little wretch has survived the Bleeding Curse. Interesting.” He spun on his heel and stepped back over to his pile of furs and pelts. A smooth motion had him seated and contemplating Fyurnik again, who hadn’t moved. “Go send Kaelith to me, and then get those who will listen to you ready to move. Tell them we’re going hunting.”
Fyurnik nodded again, snapped a half-salute, and fled the tent, spreading Chief’s orders. The Dark Elf sat in his dark tent, regarding the little talisman, which was still glowing brightly. His sibilant voice wouldn’t be heard outside, especially as it matched the whistling and hissing of the wind.
“Either you got some help, little girl, or there’s more to you than meets the eye. We shall soon see, won’t we…”

….……
You help me decide what happens next.
In a whisper, give me your vote for one of the following options:

1. Cache
2. Fugue