Main Courtyard - Fort Crag
In ancient times this area must have held much pomp and circumstance, but now it serves the fort mainly as an assembly area. It is a large, wide open area sheltered by a smooth rock ceiling at least forty feet above the ground. On two sides, ramps lead either down into the ground or up into the ceiling. The dominant feature of the courtyard is a large, black, rectangular slab of rock embedded in the ground, which sports a blood red chevron on the side facing the entrance.
Although the ground here is stony, in some places it has given way to dirt and soil. A few trees grow here, watered by gryphons dedicated to their care and fed by sunlight that filters in from the entrance and from small holes in the ceiling. The gates are open, allowing anyone to walk into or out of the fortress.
Contents:
Val'schech
Large Spoked Wheel by the Entrance
Monolith
Obvious exits:
Lower Level Upper Level Main Entrance
Kah'Serrith pads slowly into the Fort... The big black drake is looking a little worse for wear by this point, doing all the task Val assigned him, as well as flying patrol with the other Shkrill... He's not quite as... Padded as he used to be, and that paw is obviously starting to trouble him a little more....
Val'schech stands, and pads towards Kah. She looks at the offending paw, and grimaces. "Kah'sserrrith? Come herre."
Kah'Serrith blinks and startles openly, his ears laying back a moment before he realises who it is... He limps slowly across the courtyard to you, still managing a fairly graceful bow, "Teacher." His voice soft, perhaps out of respect, perhaps to disguise tiredness, or perhaps something more....
Val'schech sounds as neutral as ever. "You arre excussed frrom dutiess forr the rresst of the day. We will go to the infirrmarry, and have that sseen to."
Kah'Serrith hesitates, then simply nods, "As you wish." He moves to rise from his bow and his foreleg crumples under him, pitching him beakfirst into the dirt at your feet... He growls softly as he slowly gets back up, but other than that, he doesn't say a word, simply looking at you, waiting to see if you will go first, or if he should just make his own way there.... He flicks his wings, settling them to his side once more, though being as close as you are to him, you can see the flicker of pain in his eyes, quickly masked....
Val'schech's expression tightens, but remains neutral as she turns and indicates that he should go first.
Kah'Serrith 's first step is a cautious one, slowly putting his weight onto that foreleg, testing it'll stand before he moves off, limping across the courtyard and to the Upper Level, leaping up to the ledge with apparent ease, though he still stumbles a little on landing, though he does seem to be adapting well to life with the bandages...
Upper Level - Fort Crag
The upper level of Fort Crag is a large expanse, containing many of the specialized rooms the gryphons used in the past for work and study. Although many of the rooms are now disused, some of them are being cleaned up and organized. The Infirmary, especially, has been cleaned, but a gathering room to one side is also showing a lot of progress.
Obvious exits:
Courtyard Lab Infirmary Flight Prep
Infirmary
The fortresses infirmary is a large room, having been designed to take care of many of the wounded during a siege or an attack. Most of the ancient equipment used in the fortress' hey-day has decayed to unusability, but the tables where the injured lie are still intact. The area has a couple of surgery rooms where the most injured are to be worked on, and another area has soft nesting and bedding for observing recovering patients. Some shelves, usually kept out of easy reach, contain certain drugs and medicines, while others have centaur-crafted iron tools that do not decay in the Sphere's lower technology atmosphere.
Obvious exits:
Out
Val'schech has arrived.
Val'schech begins to unwind the bandages with a deft touch, motioning you to stay still.
Kah'Serrith blinks, "Teacher.. You should not...." His paw twitches as you unwrap the rather muddy, and bloody bandages from his paw, "I can take care of it myself." He finishes weakly...
Val'schech hmmps, and carries on. "Parrt of yourr trraining will be in the usse of herrbss, to heal ass well ass harrm." The bandages have begun to stick together at this depth, and she does her best to avoid causing you pain.
Kah'Serrith clamps his beak tightly shut at this point. You might notice traces of other colour down there as well as the red of the blood... Something faintly yellow in colour... Seems he's not had time to keep it as clean as he should... He looks away, trying not to move even as the occasional sharp twinge of pain runs through him.
Val'schech ruthlessly rips away the last piece of bandage, dumping it all in the bin set for the purpose. She turns back to the claw, and grimaces. "Thiss will have to be kept betterr, Kah'sserrrith, orr you will lose the leg." She fetches a few larger earthenware pots from a shelf, and hunts for another, smaller one.
Kah'Serrith 's claws dig into the bench HARD as you tear the last bandage away, a muffled sound escaping him, his ears flat to his head as he fights to keep control, "I... I've been busy." He finally whispers, his voice strained. Luckily the infection hasn't taken serious hold on the wound yet and most of the flesh looks healthy, the growth of the new claw already underway.
Val'schech says, "Sso you have." Val scrupulously washes her claws in a salt solution. "Hold sstill. Thiss will hurrt." She begins to cut the infected flesh away with the sharpest of her claws, washing it again after every cut. "If I can cut the infection away now, it sshould not rreturrn to botherr you. Now, lick it."
Kah'Serrith 's rake along the side of the bench, a soft little whimper finally escaping the drake, tears in his eyes as you cut the flesh from his talon, his haunches quivering, claws extended to their utmost as he fights to keep back the scream of pain that is growing in his chest... Finally a soft, strangled sob escapes him as you finish... He doesn't move for a moment, his eyes glazed, every nerve alive with pain.... But finally your words penetrate and he moves, lowering his head down to gingerly lick the wound clean....
Darkmoon has arrived.
Darkmoon dips her head quietly, unwrapping her leg and flexing it slightly, then tosses the rags into a corner on a pile of others.
Val'schech begins to unstopper the pots she had selected, looking into each to find the right ones. She starts to slather ointments on Kah'serrith's wound, telling him what each one will do, whether he listens or not. She nods politely to Darkmoon, and concentrates on her work.
Kah'Serrith doesn't even notice Darkmoon, the drake trying to fight past the pain that sings through ever fibre of his body to listen to what Val says, trying to concentrate on what she's doing to his paw, the ointments she uses....
Val'schech will go over it again later. In fact, she's seriously considering taking you off punishment detail - sorting this out will be hell enough.
Kah'Serrith swallows hard till he's sure his voice won't break, "I should have taken more care." His voice barely a whisper.
Val'schech nods, finishing with the ointments. "Yess, you sshould. You have learrnt that, yess?" A roll of bandages is located, and Val begins to wind it back round the injury.
Kah'Serrith draws a soft, shaking breath, "Aye."
Val'schech nods. "We will sstay herre, today, and you will learrn ssomething of thesse ointmentss." She's expecting you to forget, but then learning things while the mind is asleep can have astonishing results. Either way, Kah will be getting an education in the ointments and herbs Val knows for the next couple of days.
Kah'Serrith simply nods, "Yes, Teacher." He slowly sits up, but it doesn't look like he's going to be putting any weight on that paw anytime in the immediate future, still trembling a little as the pain fades, replaced y a dull ache in his paw where the newly mauled flesh makes its presence known.
Srric has arrived.
Kah'Serrith glances around as Srric enters, then turns his attention back to Val, a little more life and intelligence returning to his eyes now as the pain ebbs, taking a slightly more active interest in exactly what was done to his paw...
Darkmoon finishes unwrapping her leg and chirps quietly to Srric, tail flicking a bit more quickly.
Val'schech wraps bandages around Kah'serrith's injured foreclaw, passing him one jar of ointment at a time and explaining its qualities. She nods politely to Srric as he enters, then returns to her student.
Kah'Serrith nods, murmuring an occasional question about the properties or ingredients of each, what they would best be used for.. Occasionally there is a twitch of a tufted ear or the raising of an eyeridge as some of the more... Interesting uses of these ointments are described by his Teacher, but he makes no comment, simply remembering all he can.
Val'schech carefully instructs her pupil only in the healing properties of each, and how much should be used. He will have to wait until he has a great deal more training before she initiates him into those secrets.
Kah'Serrith hrrms, leaning down and sniffing at his paw curiously, listening intently to all he's told, opening some of the jars to peer inside at the contents... His tail twitches from side to side, his ears perked as he takes a more active interest now, the questions coming more frequently, determined that even though he can't walk for the moment, he won't disappoint his Teacher....
He has already disappointed his teacher once. He will not do so again. She patiently continues, and then sends a barrage of questions about what he has just learnt. Any he can't answer, or gets wrong, acquire him a cuff around the eartufts.
Kah'Serrith does seem to have been paying attention.. Mostly at least... He answers perhaps 8 out of ten of the questions posed to him, wincing at the cuffs, but making no other complaint...
Val'schech's questions end, finally. The cuffs had grown a touch harder with each wrongly answered question, but she seems pleased with Kah's progress in general. She starts at the beginning again, from the first ointment, listing the herbs in it, what it is used for, and how it should be applied. The implication in her tone is that you had best answer the questions perfectly, this time.
Kah'Serrith 's ears twitch, the drake alert enough to take everything in properly this time, the questions less frequent now, nodding slightly as he takes in the information he missed the first time round, his tail twitching side to side as he concentrates on Val's voice, his head already smarting from the blows and not in the mood to receive anymore pain today.
Val'schech begins the questions again, different ones this time. Maybe Kah'Serrith has improved?
Kah'Serrith 's replies are a little more careful this time, but it seems that pain is a great motivator as he answers each one correctly this time, though every now and again he twitches, as it expecting a blow....
Val'schech nods, and actually smiles. "Good."
Kah'Serrith bows his head at the praise, shifting a little on the bench to distribute his weight a little more evenly, flexing his bandaged paw slowly, carefully...
And now for the bad news. "I will tesst you again, in a week. We will ssee how much you rretain. Therre arre sscrrollss of thiss inforrmation in herre, Kah'sserrith. You may wissh to usse them."
Kah'Serrith just nods again.. It's not like he's going to be going anywhere for the next little while.
Val'schech decides to be merciful. "I will hunt forr you, Kah. You sshould not sstrresss it, for a while. Flying lesssonss will continue, though. You need the prractisse."
Kah'Serrith blinks, his eyes widening a little, "I can hunt for myself..." He protests softly even though it's blatantly obvious that he can't stand up right now, let along bring down prey on his own unless he was VERY lucky.
Val'schech snorts loudly, and snarls "Don't be rridiculouss." Accept it, idiot. You'll only damage yourself beyond repair.
Kah'Serrith finally just looks down at the floor.... He's never actually suffered an injury serious enough to prevent him from hunting before, and it's not an experience he likes.... One of the reasons he left Windhaven was disgust at the gryphons there who were so fat and lazy they let others hunt for them... But..... He knew Val was right, that any attempt to hunt would most likely end with him getting hurt even more severly, perhaps even beyond repair... "As you wish." He says finally, lifting his head once more.
*WHAP* "My word iss yourr law, forr now, apprrenticse. Do not quesstion it." Another lesson.
Kah'Serrith winces, then winces again, not expecting that one, his body jerking and jarring the bandaged forepaw, a soft hiss of pain escaping him.... "Yes, Teacher." Is all he says.
Val'schech hmmphs, and moves to fetch a scroll from a small cubby-hole in the wall. She won't show him where they are again, she'll expect him to find them. "Painkilling herrbss arre on thiss sscrroll. Find the one you want, and sshow it to me." Implied in her tone is that she'll fetch the one he indicates for him, but if he picks the wrong one, that's his problem. There's nothing dangerous on there, but some will be too weak and some will give him delusions until they wear off.
Kah'Serrith studies the scroll, running through what Val had told him, trying to remember which ointments had painkilling properties, which herbs were used in them... Finally he points to one, "That."
Val'schech smiles again. "Willowbarrk. Corrrect." She pads over to the correct niche to fetch it, and sets a kettle on to boil.
Kah'Serrith breathes a soft sigh of relief as his memory doesn't fail him...
Val'schech fetches a bowl, and waits for the kettle to boil. "What elsse can it be used forr?" Questions, the other way around.
Kah'Serrith murrrs softly, "The relief of hangovers." A hint of hesitancy to his voice, even though he's fairly sure he's got the right answer.
Val'schech says, "You musst be ssurre, Kah'sserrrith." No pain, though, so you must be right. "How sshould I prreparre it?"
Kah'Serrith murrrs, answering more promptly this time, "Steep it in hot water, then remove the bark and drink the water."
Val'schech says, "Fassterr sstill." But she does not seem displeased. Just intent on getting you to the peak of mental condition. Physical will have to wait. The bark is steeped, and then removed. The water is left to cool for a few minutes, then the bowl is given to you. "Drrink."
Kah'Serrith makes a face, but gulps the water down as quickly as he can trying not to taste it....
Val'schech sits down, primly curling her tail around her haunches. "Now, on to otherr thingss. You do not yet bearr the marrkingss of the Sshkrrill, Kah'sserrrith."
Kah'Serrith nods, "No, Teacher..."
Val'schech asks a curiously pointed question. "Do you wissh to?"
Kah'Serrith hesitates for about half a second before answering that one, "Yes."
Val'schech fetches three more pots from the shelf. These ones are kept separately, and well-labelled, although the writing is small.
Kah'Serrith 's head cocks, watching Val.... There's a hint of bleariness to his eyes as the painkiller begins to flow through his system...
Val'schech motions to Kah to lie on his side, opening the first pot. It smells acrid, and makes the eyes water. "We do thiss now, when you arre feeling the painkillerr, orr we do it laterr, when it will hurrt. Yourr choicse."
Kah'Serrith rolls slowly onto his side, "No point in leaving it till later." He murmurs, "Now is as good a time as any, painkiller or not." His haunches twitch, "I want to wear the mark..."
Val'schech carefully scrapes some of the first ointment out of the jar with a piece of wood. She marks a chevron on Kah's flank in the stuff, and the acrid stink is joined by the smell of burning fur. She counts beneath her breath, and the pain of it is just starting to seep through when she washes it off with a large amount of water.
Kah'Serrith hisses softly, then sighs, but the painkiller has taken full effect now and he lays still, letting Val mark him, knowing that once this is done, it's a mark he'll wear for life, no matter where he goes, or what he does.... The thought is not one that worries him, or displeases him... This is the life he has chosen. And unlike some.. He did indeed choose it.
The second pot, now. Brilliant red dye of some sort, the same shade as the other Shkrill wear. Val takes some time over this, ensuring that the chevron is perfect - it would not do to have it anything less. This is cooling after the heat of the acid, but rubbed firmly into the raw flesh.
Kah'Serrith grunts a little, then sighs again, the drake a little disjointed by this point, aware of what's going on, but not really caring, the painkiller acting fairly quickly on a body already tired by 2 weeks of punishment detail and patrols. He lifts his head to watch, but is careful not to let his haunches move and spoil Val's work...
Val'schech had secretly put something a little stronger in with the willowbark. The claw is faster than the eye - Kah had obviously not seen it, but its hold grows stronger by the minute. He can feel things as vague sensation, but that is all. "Not much longerr, now." A reassuring tone, to give him something to hold on to through the fog. She keeps speaking, listing the herbs in each mixture and how it is made. Useless chatter has little point, he might as well learn something even in this state. The third pot contains a white liquid, viscous and odd-smelling. "This one to prevent the fur growing back over the acid-burn." She carefully smears it over the chevron, following the lines exactly, and a little above, to give it definition.
Kah'Serrith 's head wavers a little, the drake seeing, but obviously not seeing by this point... He listens as much as he's able, the strange sensations washing away any hope of coherent thought by this point, watching all that is done to his body from a curiously detached viewpoint, almost as if he were standing next to Val, watching her work on someone entirely different... His haunches twitch ever so slightly at the application of the new liquid, but other than that, the drake is still, lowering his head back down to the bench, his beak gaping slightly, tail drooping behind him, barely twitching, only really aware of Val's voice, knowing that he has to listen, even now....
Val'schech waits for the mixture to dry, then slathers a last ointment on it. "Thiss will prrevent infection. Now rresst, and I will find uss ssome food."
Kah'Serrith just nods weakly, his eyes closing moments later as he drifts off into drug-induced slumber, wings drooping as he goes limp on the bench, breathing soft and slow...
Val'schech peels back an eyelid, just to make sure that she gave him the right dose. Yes, she did. She smiles at Srric, a smile with a touch too much hardness about it to be humour.
Kah'Serrith is most definitely gone by this point, not even twitching at Val's touch...
Jarren has arrived.
Kah'Serrith is lying on a table, with a new red chevron marked on his side. He's been drugged to the eyeballs, and Val is cleaning up the ointments she used.
Jarren snorts. "What's wrong with him?"
Val'schech nods "I need him to sstay in one placse. Otherrwisse, he will lose hiss leg, Jarrren." She points at the new bandage around Kah's foreleg, and you notice that there are more pots around than a simple marking would require.
Jarren says, "Ug. What happened now?"
Jarren says, "I knew he got his claw bitten off.."
Val'schech says, "He did not pay enough attention to itss healing. I had to cut an infection away. If he movess about too much forr the nexst few dayss, it will take longerr to heal, and may not heal at all."
Jarren nods a bit.
Kah'Serrith twitches ever so faintly in his drugged slumber, then goes still once more....
Val'schech snorts. "The young idiot. Sstill, he will learrn that woundss musst be carred forr. I did not give him painkillerrss until the pain of it wass almosst gone - he iss too good a sstudent to be kind to."
****
OOC: And at that point, RL called me away and the conversation descended into OOC chat before I left Kah slumbering in the Infirmary.... Now a member of the Shkrill.