| Willing to Work |
| Summary: | Dania is brought up to speed on the happenings at the Flint camp. |
| Date: | 01/Jan/2012 |
| Related Logs: | Shortly after Death by Flux |
| Players: |
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| Flint Camp, Highfield |
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| Large clearing with lots of tents. A big pvaillion and multiple smaller ones, also a cook fire and the foundations of a small manor. |
| Sat 28 Dec, 289 |
Outside the afternoon is hot and a weak breeze from the ocean stirs the air and causes the tent flaps of the pavilion to shift and sway. Smoke from the incense curls up to the canvas ceiling of the large pavilion, in an attempt to ward off the coming tide of sickness and death. The pavilion is crowded; bed rolls and cots have been set up for those that are sick. The camp healer is working tirelessly and so are others. It is when the breeze stirs again that a six foot tall woman dressed in a chocolate brown gown and wearing a pale blue apron steps into the tent. Her hair is primly bound up and her mouth and nose are covered with a cloth. Over her shoulders she carries saddlebags and a satchel that are practically bursting at the seams. The saddle bags and the satchel all have the insignia of a key on them. In her arms she also carries many canvas wrapped bundles.
With the arrival of the Ashwood party last night, the Naylands this morning along with the two deaths, Einar is spending his afternoon taking the time to go through the tent with Ragny. He's doing the Lordly bit of starting conversations and offering reassuring words, and she's checking their progress and passing along any remedies that are deemed appropriate. As they reach the last bed in one row they pause to compare notes and observations before they turn to start back along the next. It's at that point that the new arrival is noted and the young man suggests to the older woman that she should continue without him while he heads towards the entrance to see what is occurring.
The woman stands there for a moment and her blue eyes seem to take everything in. She notices the young man approaching and she offers him a polite bow of her head. "Good day, Master or Ser? I am a wandering healer and midwife, I have come to see if I could be of some service to the healers who are here and working. My name is Dania Dorsey." She tells him. Her voice is gentle and warm and her intelligent eyes are study him with keen interest. "I have also brought my own supplies and items that I hope will be added to existing supplies."
Einar returns Dania's bow with a brief nod, as he reaches conversational distance. He too has a cloth over his nose and mouth which muffles his voice a little and possibly masks the faintly amused smile that crosses his features at her greeting. "Neither I'm afraid Mistress," he answers before introducing himself, "I am Einar Flint, cousin and Squire to Young Lord Anders." Who is safe at Highfield with his baby sons, thankfully. "The ladies outside have the notes we've made on this thing over the past weeks so feel free to read those when you can, for now though let me show you where those supplies go."
"Considering I arrived when they did but they have not shared them with me yet I am going to assume that they will not be shared." Dania tells him. "Forgive me Lord Flint I did not know your rank, do you have copies of the notes that I may read or did you give the ladies in question the original ones?" She moves to offer him some of the bundles she has with her. "These are from Heronshurst." She tells him.
"They had said it is Bloody Flux and I learned from the father who had lost his son Alec that Tansy was used. What other treatment have been tried?" Dania adds.
"I only had a chance to talk to then just before lunch," Einar offers with faint glance towards the direction of the cookfire. "Chances are they haven't finished with them yet, but if you don't get a chance to see then by tonight let me know and I'll retrieve them for you." Well, and for himself as he'll need to keep them updated anyway. He holds his hand out though to stop the transfer of goods just yet, until he gets a chance to wash his hands and forearms anyway, "lets step outside" he states simply, turning to hold open the tentflap for her. It also keeps things like naming the suspected disease out of the tent full of the sick. "Thats the current thought yes," he admits, "we've been trying a variety of things, I won't go into the details now though as I'll likely miss something and they're all recorded in my notes."
"You may have to get the notes for me." She tells him and she steps outside. She speaks again once the tent flaps are closed. "You know there is no cure for this. There are many treatments. The key is trying to keep the victims or patients hydrated and to help ease their stomach pains if the healer is right in her diagnosis and honestly she most likely is. Is the stool loose and filled with mucus and blood? Do the patients have a severe stomach and intestinal cramps that follow the fever and the nausea?"
Einar nods once, "I'll be updating them later anyway, find me then and I'll pass them on." There's a bucket and soap set up outside which he avails himself of, ensuring he scrubs everything up to his elbows thoroughly before rinsing the suds off again. That done he holds out a hand to accept a share of her bundles, pulling the cloth down from his face as he does so. "I've been told there's no cure, but I've also been told that it doesn't always kill." Three in four being what he's heard, but he's not about to start going bandying numbers around casually as if it something abstract rather than actual people being discussed. Leading the way towards the supply tent, which, unsurprisingly, is not far from the sick pavillion he answers what questions he can, "the tansy has been helping with the stomach cramps and yes, the woman this morning, when she died, there was blood and stool together." Lots of it infact. "Fevers have been coming and going, as the nausea."
"Correct, but throughout history it has been known to decimate entire armies." Dania says this once they are in the empty supply tent. "But some can survive it. What have you been doing to break the fever and are you forcing liquids into them and what liquids? With what you described it is the bloody flux. I have been through a number of sickness and a plague outbreak. As you already know this is not going to be pretty. It also sounds like three is a three day period of grace before symptoms appear. That being from what I have heard and have gathered so far. Is that a correct assessment with what you and the healer have seen?" She looks thoughtful. "Milk of the Poppy and Dark Nightshade can be given to help with the stomach and intestinal cramps. I am guessing that the Tansy is not working once the victim is starting to show symptoms of the diarrhea? There are other remedies as well. I hope you do not mind if I join your effort?" She asks him in a polite and diplomatic manner.
Einar starts distributing the supplies according to the established system, making a brief note on an inventory sheet as to what has been added. "Technically Mistress," he offers, in his best effort to be conversational rather than grim, "decimate is only one in ten." Right now he'd take one in ten, and then feel guilty about it for the rest of his life possibly, but he'd still probably take it. "We've been giving them water when they want it," he replies as he unpacks, "boiled and then cooled down to try and eliminate any contagion from there. I'm not sure on the three days scale. Before yesterday I was the newest arrival and that was over a month ago so we haven't got any information to work from there. "I think it's fair to say that we'll accept what help we can get, I just pray to the Seven that you don't pay too heavy a price."
"I already know that my choice of occupation, skill and love will be the death of me good Lord." Dania says to him in a gentle manner. "We all have to dance with the Stranger someday good Lord, either by violence, pestilence, old age or birth. He does not pay heed to rank or position." Her voice is low and gentle. "I survived by the skin of my teeth once and hopefully I can do so again. If not then it was not met to be, but in the meantime I will try to help save those that we can. And yes I mean we, it is going to take all of us with any skill in herbalism, Chiurgeonry or who is not afraid to lend a hand. If this progress as it is known to then we will be overwhelmed." With her hands free she pulls the mask down and she smiles. She goes to open up one of her bags and she takes out a lump of harsh soap and a clean apron. The bags and her satchel she hangs up for the time being as she puts the apron on. Next she takes out linen sleeve guards which she puts on. As she goes through this ritual she continues to talk. "They need to drink, it is good that you have been boiling the water. Have you barley, slippery elm, honey and mineral salt?"
"We have what you see," Einar answers as he gestures around the tent with a hand. He nods silently as he listens to her explanation of her motivations and skills. "When we're done here I'll introduce you to Mistress Ragny, she's been handling the main weight of treatment and should be able to answer the questions I can't. Just a word of warning for you, well not really working, a word of advice maybe. Besides you new arrivals, I am the only Seven follower in camp. Reassuring words are a necessary thing, they bring comfort and let the sick know we are still working to cure them, but talk of our Gods will not work."
"Who says I follow the seven?" Dania offers him a wink and then a slight impish smile. "I assumed you did as you are a Flint. I work well with the Sept and those of the old faith." She tells him. "Honestly, I am not sure what to believe in. I just know what I know. The way I see it we need the help of anything that is good and omnipotent." She has her apron in place and she goes into her supplies and she takes out barley and a small jar of mineral salts. "When we packed we did not know what we were packing for. Do you know how to make barley water?" She asks him. "I also would adore meeting the good Mistress and thank you for allowing me to join these efforts." She says politely.
"You spoke about dancing with the Stranger," Einar offers with a slight smile, "I took that as a hint as none of my family, nor any of those here, would say such a thing." Well, none bar him perhaps but as already mentioned, he's one of those oddball Northerners who doesn't venerate the Old Gods. As for the barley water question he simply nods once then replies, "we need any help that is prepared to run the risk."
"Barley water can help with hydration along with slippery elm. Let the barley water cool before giving it." Dania shrugs her shoulders. "I have a deep love and respect for the land around me and those that tend it." She says rather vaguely. "Death or the stranger, they are the same to me. I know many would disagree with me. But there are those that would agree with me. What counts the most as you said is kindness and compassion in situations like these. If I seem bossy I apologize it has been a long time since I have worked with others." She nods her head. "Thank you for not being an Ashwood." She adds in a more blunt manner.
Einar would make a note of that, were his notes not currently elsewhere, bit he figures he can probably remember it for long enough that it should end up being recorded just fine. "As far as medical matters go," he then states simply enough, since she's raised the word 'bossy' "Mistress Ragny and myself have the final say on any discussion. We're on Highfield land though, so the Ashwoods have jurisdiction there. We're looking mostly to pool ideas and resources though, what with Lady Arabella and my Lady Cousin offering their assistance as well."
Dania nods her head. "I do understand, I promise that I have the training and the skill to back anything that I may bring up." She tells him. She smiles again and she goes to put her mask into place. "Time for me to be put to work, thank you Milord for letting me work here." She offers him a curtsy. "I promise I will remain quiet and I will treat and speak to the camp healer before I use any of my treatments on any of your people."
"Also Milord, I can work with other healers." She adds. "The ladies are included in my mind as healers."
Einar nods to those agreements and then turns to hold open the tent for Dania. "Lets go get the introductions done then. We're part way through a full round of those sick so we should get you up to speed quickly enough." Heading back towards the large pavillion he doesn't raise his own mask again until they're about to enter but then he holds open the flap once more to allow her ease of admittance.
