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Post by The Terror on Dec 18, 2018 6:46:31 GMT
With the Founders Festival going on, not many feel the need to seek a healer at this moment. But Master Berreos could rest assured of plenty of work after the hard partying had taken its toll. It was fortunate he was well stocked on hangover cures.
However, today he had a lone customer. An old peasant woman from the slave quarter. Beneath her shawl, he could make out the elegant features of old Valyria. "Master Barreos... I heard you were a great healer... and a great solver of problems." She spoke like a commoner trying very hard to sound like something more.
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 18, 2018 18:33:25 GMT
There were few things Mavon enjoyed in life, and one of those was a good days work. The kind of work day that kept you busy but didn't break your back. The kind that payed enough that he didn't need to worry about folks coming around, trying to shake him down for extra coin.
Mavon regarded the old peasent woman, a smile on his face hiding his calculating and observant gaze as he assessed her. The words she spoke were off, slightly, and mavon moved and pulled a chair out for the woman and for himself, offering her a seat as he smiled.
"I am many things, madam. A healer and problem solver are just two of them..." he said with a slight laugh as he leaned an elbow on his own chairs top-rail. "Come, sit down my dear. It'll not have it said that I was too rude to offer a seat to one of my potential clients."
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Post by The Terror on Dec 18, 2018 19:11:17 GMT
She took the seat and seemed impressed with his politeness. "My granddaughter Daenerys is the lover of Laenar Maltalos. While I loathe the thought of whoring my daughter out like this... his seed in her belly would mean a new life for my family. It has been very difficult for us since the Doom... If you can provide some potion that might swell her belly or raise his vigor even more so..."
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 18, 2018 19:28:43 GMT
Some times, life could have a sense of humor. Before the doom, people like Mavon would not have existed. Now, the former lords came to him, to help them get children. It made him laugh to himself, which he soon played off.
"You know, you'd be surprised how common that one is..." mavon said, passing that off as the source of his amusement, as he got up and went to his supplies, "Fret not, however. For Mavon's Menagerie of Medical Miracles, is where the Marvelous is made Manifest..." he said as he looked back to his supplies.
There had to be something here that he could whip up to convince them it was a working tonic. Perhaps something with a bit of bitterness and spice, to mask the flavor of nothing with the flavor of medicine.
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Post by The Terror on Dec 18, 2018 20:00:55 GMT
She waits patiently with her fragile hopes and dreams of a better life for her family.
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 18, 2018 21:03:45 GMT
Mavon looked through his various ingredients, getting to work on whipping up the usual treatments. Honey and Cinnamon helped, and gave the mixture a bearable flavor, while seal oil, bone meal, a bit of yam and ginseng, some rabbit semen and a lot of elbow grease for the pestle and mortar.
"Now, for the optimal effect, Young Daenerys should keep her legs above her head for about 20 or so minutes after the deed is done. The tea will help, but she needs to do her part as well. No Alcohol, and definitely avoid Garlic..." He said, drawing on what knowledge he had of his medical studies, and of course, a bit of old wives tales and folklore. Medicines like this were 50/50 most times, maybe a bit less. But, giving some vague instructions that the young couple might mess up on was always a nice way to cover liability.
"And make sure it's taken an hour after sundown, on a full moon day without cover. Moonlight is very important for the mixtures potency to have the best chance..." He said, layering more and more folklore with some actual medicine. Would this work? Probably not. Fertility was an untestet field and everything was pretty much just down to luck. But they didn't know that. And they were willing to pay me money for a chance to maybe leverage their bets.
"Now then..." Mavon said as he rolled the mixture into a small ball, and into a parchement package. "Onto the most important subject of all...Payment." Mavon said as he used a small bowl of water to rinse off his hands, wiping them clean with a towel and returning with the parchments in tow.
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Post by The Terror on Dec 19, 2018 4:54:48 GMT
The old woman rummaged through her purse to produce a small brooch forged from Valyrian steel. It was worth far, far more than the rabbit semen cocktail he had just give her, but such was the woman's desperation to save her family from the gutter.
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 19, 2018 5:25:18 GMT
Mavon took the brooch, holding it up to the window so the light could catch in it. He closed one eye, looking at the patterns in the valyrian steel as he gave a nod, holding the parchment for the woman to take.
"I wish you the best, in you and your families en-devour." Mavon said with a polite smile, other hand moving to pocket the brooch.
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Post by The Terror on Dec 19, 2018 17:23:23 GMT
A half hour after the woman leaves, Captain Nicolaelys enters. He looks tired and exhausted as he approaches the counter. "Oy. I need some healin' here."
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 19, 2018 17:43:25 GMT
"Why if it isn't the Leader of the Ivory Band..." Mavon said with his usual smile and friendly demeanor, looking towards the man as he reached out a hand to shake the mans, "And what ailment can I alleviate, Dear Captain Nicolaelys?"
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Post by The Terror on Dec 19, 2018 17:55:44 GMT
"Before I say anything, you're a proper healer right? Sworn to discretion? I am not going to have to come back with some of the boys and correct any rumors I find flying around about me?"
Nicolaelys absolutely would burn the shop down with Mavon inside if he thought the apothecar was telling stories about his hangover or erectile dysfunction or whatever he was here for. Genocide, slavery, and destruction were hallmarks of the Ivory Band's history before arriving in Sothoryos.
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 19, 2018 18:07:56 GMT
Mavon stopped offering the hand shake and instead held his hands in front of himself, "I...am absolutely a man of discretion. You have my word, i will not tell a soul, of whatever it is you've come to tell me."
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Post by The Terror on Dec 19, 2018 18:38:28 GMT
"Alright... alright..." The sellsword took a breath before starting. "It's the jungle, mate. It's infected me with its ghosts and demons. They're in my blood! They're dancing across my skull every night! And it's getting worse. The dreams... little children with knives... I see them coming for their revenge for what the Band done afore we come here..."
He closed his eyes and was suddenly weeping. "I can feel them now, dancing on my skull... I see a woman with child in the street and I want to cut the little beastie out afore it bites its way out of her belly and comes for me. Them ghosts are just waiting to be born, you know. It's all a ghost is... a terror that died and wants to come back. But how can I protect us from the fucking jungle and ghosts if I can't get any fucking sleep?!"
He screamed the last word, like a refugee seeking salvation after a long war.
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Post by Mavon Berreos on Dec 21, 2018 3:31:58 GMT
'Oh dear gods, this man might be the one to kill me...' Mavon thought behind his friendly smile and demeanor, a bit of sweat coming down his face as he worked to not show how absolutely pants-shittingly terrifying the sight of the Ivory Bands infamous leader breaking down in front of him, and demanding his help was. 'Okay, focus up. You gotta get this man some sleeping aid.'
"I can see how that would be quite, uhhh, counter-productive to protecting your people. But fear not, I believe, that I can help alleviate some of your torment...." The apothecary said as he went to get the most potent mix of milk of the poppy that he could, as well as some of the extra potent aids. This sounded like some horrible diseases alright, but its exact nature wasn't one that he knew, "So, when in your trips to the jungle did your symptoms start?" He asked, racking his brains for anything that could knock this man out, or perhaps even, rid him of these so called ghosts.
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Post by The Terror on Dec 21, 2018 19:37:51 GMT
"When we took that mad bastard Golareon south. He always turned my stomach, but that last trip... I think he always had spirits in him. Like he would sit around the fire and talk about the Long Night. But not like my mum talked about it, or even those red priests talk about it, like there's some deeper meaning. No, he'd talk about the Long Night like... like it had happened. And like he had seen it... and he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Anyway, when the... when the jungle took him, we headed back. But we got lost and I think the jungle ghosts must have started coming for us next. I haven't slept a full night since the night before Golareon got taken."
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