Solo The Other Half

[Devi]

Fall 40th, 515AV - Syliras Maiden District Devi pulled her long coat tightly around her as she stepped out into the chilly stone corridors outside her apartment. It was early and so she met few others in the dim light, which suited her perfectly. She navigated through the narrow internal walkways of the Maiden District, turning this way and that until she reached the wide door frame that formed a breach in the district wall. She stepped through into the outer portion of the Bazaar and breathed deeply, relishing in the multitude of scents which danced past her nose. Walking a little further, skirting the wall, led her to the entrance of Stormhold Salves. Devi pushed through the doorway, hearing the dainty tinkle of the bell chime as she did so. Mistress Sahfri, the four-armed Eypharian who owned the shop, glided around the corner and greeted her with a smile. “Ahh Deviana. How are you today?” “Well Sahfri, I am well thank you. Has the delivery come in yet?” Devi asked, pleasantly. The herbalist’s face lit up and she beamed across the counter. “Yes indeed, I have some quite interesting samples in this batch. There is something, I think, that will be of use for your current project.” Devi’s ears perked up at that, her mind moving away from pleasantries and honed in on the slight Eypharian, wondering what she was about to reveal. “This,” Sahfri began, revealing a handful of long greenish, grey stalks peppered with small, dark green leaves, “Is Dalmis. It’s native to climes much warmer than these, plains and the edges of deserts. If you finely chop and mix the dried leaves and stalks you will create a lovely incense, quite rare in these parts.” Devi frowned a little whilst she listened, wondering how she might make use of such a plant. “If you ground it into a fine powder however it is a useful base for philters. It gums different ingredients together rather well and infuses a pleasant aroma into any mixtures you create.” Devi picked a strand up and squeezed one of the leaves between her fingers before smelling the resulting scent. It was indeed a very agreeable aroma, quite unlike the herbs of her native Syliras. If it did have the properties Sahfri recommended, and indeed she had no reason to doubt the Eypharian, then it would serve her purpose quite nicely. She nodded at Sahfri. “I’ll take some to try in the first batch. How much is it?” “Seven Gold Miza per ounce of unground leaves and stalks. It travels far to get to my shop and is an unusual sight even in my homeland.” “Hmm…” Devi considered. “That is a little pricey. How about if you sell me two ounces for Twelve Gold Miza with my word that if this batch is a success I will be back for a lot more?” Sahfri eyed her a moment, a hint of amusement in the Eypharian’s eyes. She knew very well just how much in the way of herbs Devi would buy when making her own medicines. “Very well, Twelve for the first two ounces.”

[Devi]

Sahfri set the Dalmis aside and gestured for Devi to continue. It was the usual way of their transactions here – Devi rarely visited with just one herb in mind. “I need some fresh rosemary. I had heard it was good for encouraging blood flow?” Sahfri nodded at her, “Indeed yes, if you heat the leaves together with a little low-scent oil it should infuse quite nicely. To get the most potent oil you would need to distil it…” “But I don’t have the equipment or the skills for that, no. Macerating it will do the trick I hope, it will be one of many ingredients in this batch.” “If I am to judge by the amount of Dalmis you purchased you would need double the quantity of rosemary to get the amount of oil you would need. Four ounces would be one gold miza and eight silvers.” “Four and a half silvers each? I was hoping to get them for three.” She replied, a small frown creasing her forehead. Sahfri smiled at her pleasantly, “If my prices are unreasonable to you then there is plenty of rosemary in the surrounding forests.” The corners of Devi’s lips twitched, “But none so fresh and vibrant as yours hmm?” Sahfri’s laugh sounded like the tinkle of her little door bell. “That is a most common opinion yes.” She sighed and then continued, “Sixteen silver mizas. That’s four silver each and a most fair price.” Devi had the good sense not to push things any further. She may be Sahfri’s senior in herbal and medical lore but the many-limbed woman mastered her in negotiation. They exchanged the relevant coins and Devi carried her purchases out of the store. She emerged into a Bazaar beginning to bustle with energy and started weaving through the erected stalls and loud stall-vendors immediately. Devi pushed her legs to a fast pace, enjoying the additional effort this entailed. She marched through the marketplace towards the wide door frame that led back into the Maiden District and turned into the corridor which she knew led back to her apartment. By the time she was unlocking and shuffling into her home she felt a light burn in her legs from the fast-paced walk. She deposited her newly acquired ingredients on the table and shook out of her coat. From the shelves around the hearth she retrieved her pestle and mortar as well as some oil and a couple of large bowls. Devi settled herself at the table and immediately set to work on the stems of rosemary, picking off the spikey little leaves with nimble fingers and depositing them into one of the bowls she had prepared. Each time she finished with one stalk she put it to one side and picked up another, tugging the little leaves off and dropping small bunches of them into the bowl every so often. Macerating tended to take a while, she knew, so it made logical sense to begin with the rosemary. She would set that to heating and then she could begin the laborious process of grinding the dalmis into a powder and mixing her ingredients together to make the finished product.

Receipt :

-12GM 2oz Dalmis
-1GM 6SM 4oz Rosemary

[Devi]

Devi picked at the rosemary stalks methodically, her fingers not ceasing until each stalk was picked clean of scented leaves. She sat back with a deep breath once she had set the last one aside and flexed her aching fingers. The lovely scent of the herb had long since scented the air and her fingers were now saturated with it. The young woman stood, stretching out the muscles of her back as she did so to ease the cramps caused by sitting in such a rigid position. She stoked the embers in her hearth and added a little fuel to keep the heat going. Eking the essence of the rosemary out of the leaves and into the oil required a long, low heating – the kind that the glowing coals sitting in the heart of the warm hearth were perfect for. She pulled a ceramic jug from the shelves nearby and unstoppered it. Returning to the table and the large bowl now filled with rosemary leaves she poured oil into the bowl until she was satisfied that there was enough to continue and then set it on the hearth to heat. “Ok…” She muttered to herself, “Now the Dalmis.” Devi threw away the discarded rosemary stalks and turned her attention instead to the greyish green little branches of the Dalmis plant. She remembered Sahfri had said to grind both the stems and the dark green leaves into a fine powder. The plant was already dried, no doubt on the journey from its home in the desert outskirts to Syliras. She decided to start with the leaves, picking each off delicately and placing them into her large stone mortar. With the pestle she ground them down, leaning her weight into the motion. Gradually the leaves were crushed down into smaller and smaller pieces, her arms feeling the strain of it after a while. Devi stood up and walked around, shaking them around a little. She pulled a little ceramic jar off her medicinal shelves and pulled off the lid to access the pale pink cream within. It was Rosemary Ointment, a medicine she often used on patients with cramping muscles. She was starting to feel the burn within her own arms and had more grinding to go so the doctor in her felt it would be best to apply it now, before that burn became too severe. She loosened and pulled off her shirt before massaging some of the ointment into her arms, taking care to work the flesh with her fingers to ease the tension in her arms. Feeling a little better she replaced her shirt and set herself back to work grinding first the leaves and then the long stems of the dalmis.

[Devi]

Much of the day passed and Devi finished grinding the Dalmis with her mortar and pestle and was satisfied with the fine powder that resulted. The room was thick with the scent of rosemary which, whilst still pleasant, now felt cloying and made her head heavy and sleepy. She carefully lifted the heavy rosemary and oil mixture from the hearth and carried it over to the table, setting it down with a clunk. She set the final bowl she would need onto the table and fitted a strainer over the top of it. She lifted the large bowl and emptied its contents into the strainer, taking care to tip slowly and tensing the muscles in her arms and core to keep the bowl steady. Oil began dribbling past the mushy rosemary to the clean bowl beneath as she did so. Finally it was all in the strainer and she moved the mixture around with her hands in order to help the oil get free. Before too long she had a good supply of oil and she swiftly switched the bowl beneath the strainer so that she could use what she already had and leave the rest to drain. Devi’s attention sparked after the long hours of more monotonous work – she was finally ready to complete her Hista Balm. It was a concoction intended to warm and soothe muscles and joints, increasing blood flow and easing aching pains for up to eight hours. It was the kind of medicine which was useful for chronic conditions impacting the muscles or pain caused by old injuries. None of her patients in the Maiden District could afford it due to the multitude of ingredients involved in it. Some of the richer patients who attended Soothing Waters would pay around 20 gold mizas per treatment and up to 20 more for its actual application. Devi was by no means a skilled masseuse but she didn’t need a lot of skill in order to apply Hista Balm. Better yet, people of good means would pay well for a home visit and Devi needed to start amassing more funds if she wanted to open up her own clinic. She mixed rosemary oil and the fine dalmis powder into the unfinished balm and was pleasantly surprised at how well the dalmis powder thickened up the consistency of the mixture. She considered for a moment but then shrugged and eased out of her shirt once more. Using her fingers and thumbs she massaged the balm into her arms, feeling the tension in them despite the ointment she had applied earlier. It smelled wonderful and after a few minutes of work her arms began to feel a lot better. Devi started to understand much better why people paid so much for applications of the stuff. She replaced her shirt and packed a few doses of the balm into her doctor’s kit. She pulled on her coat and headed out the door. Weaving through the now busy stone corridors she worked her way out of the Maiden District and towards the richer parts of the fortress city.

[Devi]

Devi straightened her clothes and hair as she approached the gateway to the illustrious Illythian District. The city’s richest citizens lived here – merchants, politicians, the most beloved artists and entertainers – and all in spacious, multi-roomed apartments. The district was filled with the kind of clients that could not only boost her savings but also allow her to experiment with a wider variety of medicines. Devi had experimented a lot with herbal remedies as they tended to be cheaper and as a result, more affordable for the majority of citizens in the city. She wanted to try the same with the stronger variety of medicines to see if she could improve on them or tweak them to make new ones. If she wanted to actually achieve the goals she set in mind for herself she needed two things – money and connections. Hopefully this was the beginning of her obtaining both. She was visiting Mistress Meyrese, the aging widow of a prominent clothing merchant. Marianne, Devi’s sister-in-law, had done some work for them in the past and had recommended Devi to help manage the Mistress’ condition. As she approached the ornate doorway she straightened her posture and adopted what she hoped was a calm and confident expression on her face. A male servant answered the door promptly following her knock and took a moment to examine her before asking her business. She responded just as calmly, pouring what limited authority and persuasive skills she had gathered over the last few years into the tones of her voice. “My name is Deviana Blackwood. I am a doctor called upon to aid Mistress Meyrese. Would you be so kind as to inform the lady I have arrived?” After a moment’s consideration the servant gestured for her to enter and she was led into a small drawing room to wait. She was not waiting long before a haughty-looking woman, that Devi would estimate was somewhere around sixty years old, made her way into the room. Her movements were graceful, though a little stilted. Devi’s attention was drawn to the woman’s left leg which seemed to drag a little more than the other, Meyrese favoured it a little. The doctor in her immediately associated the little clue with the condition this woman supposedly suffered from. Her mind immediately began flicking through possibilities. The woman didn’t say anything, instead looking Devi up and down as she moved and then finally sat in a chair across the room. Devi waited for the impromptu inspection to finish. Finally the Mistress spoke. “Diagnose me.” She said, simply and authoritatively.

[Devi]

Devi raised an eyebrow at this before responding, “I was told you already knew the nature of your condition, that you were looking for aid in managing it.” “Indeed I do. If you wish me to adopt your services I must know that you are worthy of your recommendation and not simply a waste of my time. Diagnose me.” The latter was spoken with more than a hint of impatience. It told Devi that this was a woman used to asking things once and being obeyed. She nodded amicably and approached, setting down her kit beside the chair that Meyrese was seated upon. Devi gestured towards the leg she had seen dragging a little before and looked to the lady for approval before proceeding. Meyrese favoured her with the slightest nod of agreement and she continued, lifting her skirt so that she could examine the flesh beneath. She could immediately tell that the flesh around the woman’s knee was swollen and inflamed. She lay two fingers on it lightly, noting how shiny the stretched skin was and how warm the flesh beneath. Devi also noted that Meyrese was holding her legs out straight rather than bending them, as most women did. She replaced the skirts in place and then bent over to feel the lady’s temperature and to feel the flesh around her jaw, where she knew glands would swell in the presence of an infection. Devi stood back and thought over what she knew and what she could surmise. “What I know is that the knee joint in your left leg is inflamed as though it is infected. It causes you pain when you walk and you have trouble bending your knee as a result. You don’t show any of the usual signs of a full bodily infection however.” She picked up her kit as she continued, already picking out the medicine she knew would be most helpful and thinking about what else she could surmise about the condition.

[Devi]

“What I can surmise from rumour is that the condition you have is chronic. It has affected you for many years-” The Mistress sneered daintily at her, interrupting, “You would consider rumours in your diagnosis?” Devi did her best not to flinch, sensing that her composure was as much a part of this test as anything else. “I would when I can support it by assuming that a lady of your standing would easily be able to afford one of the Favoured of Rak’keli available within the city. Someone with two marks would be able to heal you completely if the cause were a minor infection or even a moderate injury. I can only assume then that either you refuse to be healed in that manner for some reason or that you have already tried it and been told that what ails you is something more severe. Something that only a Priest or Priestess would be able to cure.” She retrieved her fresh batch of Hista Balm from her kit and began rubbing some between her hands in readiness. “You want to explore other options, both for managing the symptoms and pursuing a cure. Shall I begin?” Meyrese considered her with hawk-like eyes. Devi could almost sense the internal debate. Finally she pulled the fine cloth of her skirt up and gestured for the doctor to continue. As she did so she spoke, the edge of tiredness creeping into the tone of her voice. “What makes you think there is a cure for… this?” She spat the last word distastefully. The corner of Devi’s lips quirked into a half-smile as she answered. “What makes you think there isn’t?” She continued quickly before the Mistress could regale her with cynicism. Devi had seen the kind of hopelessness that extended pain could trigger. “I know more than most in this city about anatomy and the medical arts but even I wouldn’t hesitate to hypothesise that what we know barely scratches the surface of what there is still to learn.” With some of her new Hista Balm now spread onto her hands she carefully began rubbing it onto the flesh around the swollen knee, using her fingers to massage in gentle circles. As she continued this she lay out instructions clearly. “Now – please tell me as I progress closer to your knee how much pain I am causing, on a scale of one to ten where one is the pain of a light scratch and ten is akin to the pain of your limb being forcibly removed.”

[Devi]

“Would you believe me if I started with a ten?” Meyrese winced as she spoke and Devi watched her as she continued, gentling her motions even more. She let an edge of sarcasm slip into her voice as she replied. “I don’t appear to be removing your leg so, no.” Devi noticed a particular spot which seemed to elicit a more severe wince from Meyrese than the flesh around it. She applied a thicker layer of palm to the painful spot, gentling her fingers even more. “Fine. I would say that is about a six.” “Ok. It may take a couple of minutes but it should start to ease in this spot soon. Let me know when it’s down to about a four.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, Devi still watching for the woman’s reaction and hoping the medicine she had made was worth the variety ingredients she had added to it. Finally Meyrese spoke again. “It’s down to a four or at least I think it will be when you stop prodding at it.” “Good.” Devi leant back and applied a thicker layer to her fingers. “Now I’m going to apply some closer to the knee so it will hurt more at first but I’m applying a thicker layer so if you can endure it, the relief should be more acute.” Meyrese nodded at her, expression resolute. Devi worked the balm into the flesh closer to the knee, the older lady advising her that the pain was closer to an eight there. She began using her thumb and the palm of her hands more, applying the balm over a wide area and working the swollen flesh to try to ease it a little. After a few moments the Mistress was breathing heavily but advised her that when she stopped the pain was already reducing. Devi thought through what else she would need to know in order to flesh out the detail of her diagnosis, already planning to add the detail to a new entry in her journal so that she could document it. It may even be worth her purchasing a separate, smaller journal just to track the progress of treatment, she thought. “Now, when the overall pain has been reduced to about a three we’ll continue. I need to know how far you can extend and bend your knee when pain isn’t so much of an interference. That will give us a better idea of how much swelling there is within the joint itself.”

[Devi]

Devi packed the balm away into her kit as they waited for the medicine to do its work. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Meyrese and could tell the treatment was doing well, to the surprise of the older woman. Devi felt a little bit of pride bubble up inside of her and despite the long hours she had already been working, felt wide awake. It was the intrigue of a new puzzle to unravel. The people she usually treated in the Maiden District could only really afford herbal and more common remedies. Folk tended to be hardier as a result, the society there more accustomed to enduring pain and hardship in order to maintain their livelihoods and families. Not a lot of experimentation was undertaken with medicines like Hista Balm because the ingredients were so varied and rare. Here she had not only an opportunity to experiment with a higher level of ingredients but potentially she could also help someone in a great and consistent deal of pain. Rehabilitation was also not an area she often practiced in so developing those skills piqued her professional curiosity. Meyrese gestured her over again impatiently, no doubt eager to get the rest of her examination over with. Devi noted that she seemed to be sitting a little more naturally now, her knees now slightly bent, her posture improved. As Devi settled before her Meyrese spoke. “So how long will the relief last?” “One application of Hista Balm should last around eight hours, though I already have some ideas about ways to increase its potency.” She knelt before the older woman, feeling the flesh around the knee joint again carefully to see how the application of balm had impacted upon it. She continued speaking as she did so. “I’m happy to leave you with a number of doses if you’d like some spare to apply at night, for example, but it’s fairly expensive. Initially I’d like to keep visiting you and applying it myself so I can monitor how it’s affecting the inflamed area. I can tweak the treatments as and when needed then, for example if we need something to bring down the temperature or swelling some more.” Devi carefully lifted Meyrese’s leg, both feeling and watching the draw of the muscles in the leg as she did so. Slowly she extended the leg to as straight as it would go and then, just as slowly, she started bending it. When her patient motioned to her that it had started getting painful again, and indeed when she felt a lot more physical resistance, she stopped, taking note of the angle to reference later. Devi repeated the motion a few times, not pushing too far in this first session to ensure that she could safely test the limb's limits. If the knee has been causing Meyrese this much pain she knew that the woman was likely off of it as much as possible. Uncomfortable though it might be Devi knew it would be beneficial to encourage her to start working and moving it once more. After a few minutes of working the limb in this way she set the leg back to a more comfortable angle and found her attention drawn to the ankle, which was also looking a little swollen. She began massaging it with her thumbs, looking to Meyrese’s face for any indication that it was painful.

[Devi]

“Uncomfortable but nowhere near the same.” Her patient promptly responded. “It’s likely just a little swollen from the blockage further up your leg. It makes it more difficult for your heart to pump blood around your leg when it has to pass through the vessels here.” Devi indicated the swollen knee. “All the way down your leg, around your foot and then back up past the same area.” She gestured with her fingers to demonstrate. “It can help get things moving if you can get someone to massage your feet. Just massaging like this can help little blockages to clear and helps the flow of blood around the vessels here.” She continued with both her fingers and thumbs, happy to apply a little more pressure once Meyrese had indicated that the area was not painful. Her thumbs moved in little circular motions and Devi watched her patient’s face for any indication that a motion was pleasant or just the opposite. After a while her patient seemed to have relaxed a little more and Devi replaced the foot on the floor and stood. She retrieved a little powdered soap from her pack as well as a small container and skin of water. She mixed the water and soap powder into a thin paste before using it to wash her hands clean. Turning back to Meyrese she was startled to find the woman pinning her with a hawk-like stare once more. Devi dried her hands in silence, waiting for the Mistress to speak first. The silence seemed to stretch out for a while – Devi had completely packed away her kit by the time it was broken. “You are adequate. You will come again tomorrow.” With that the lady stiffly stood and made her way out of the room, leaving Devi alone in the opulent surroundings. She took a moment to admire those surroundings before taking her cue to leave. The servant whom had shown her to the room initially was there to greet her, gesturing down the hallway to the front door. Once back outside Devi finally allowed herself a little smile. She set off at a satisfied quick pace, finding that she had an abundance of energy for the time of day and enjoying working it off with a swift march. By the time she was crossing back into the Maiden District again her legs were beginning to ache from the exertion again but she found she really didn’t mind.