Blood, bile, and other humors bubble away within oddly formed beakers and twisted tubes in this sizable laboratory. Any wall space left unobscured by cabinets or over-laden bookshelves is covered by worn parchments depicting magnified aspects of human anatomy in grisly detail—many pierced with pins and flags like the war maps of a veteran campaigner. In the corner, a desk of elegantly carved white ash bears the image of a herd of antelope, but the stains of dark chemicals and gore disfigures the once-beautiful piece.
Seated behind the desk is the dark-haired, olive-skinned man last seen at the head of the many Queen's Physicians in the Citadel's courtyard. He's dressed in the same dark coat that the rest of the Physicians wear, except he wears no beak-mask to conceal his features. He looks up at the party with an oddly welcoming smile.
"Well? Do come in." He waves the party inside.
Demitri walks into the room. "As we mentioned to your underling, we're here to help with the disease."
Leaving the talking to Demitri and Karri and hanging in the back of the group, Lyla pays no mind to the Grey Maiden trying to stop their advance, concentrating instead on other things. She observes the facilities with great attention, trying to spot anything that might look amiss.
When they get to the room filled with asymptomatic Varisian patients, their behavior strikes her as odd, and she starts looking for signs of drug abuse hoping to determine what is going on in this floor. Lyla also takes a small whif while passing near the censer. What's this smoke?
Musing over her findings, she steps into Dr. Davaulus' office.
...and when you came across the asymptomatic patients, the first thing you noticed about them was the amount of bloodied bandages wrapped around their limbs and torsos. Even then, you could see telltale scars along their bodies--some freshly stitched closed, others hanging open. It looks more like they're being dissected or mutilated instead of having surgery performed on them.
The censer is emitting some sort of anaesthetic vapour--it's not quite opium, but it's clearly similar enough to work as a painkiller. It's perhaps the only thing keeping the patients passive.
The doctor steeples his fingers together and arches an eyebrow at Demitri. "Hmm. Such assistance would be welcomed by many, I'd wager. Tell me, what sort of skills do you possess?"
You also notice that he didn't specifically say they would welcome your assistance.
Nalun continues not to pick up on the nonverbal cues everyone seems to be laying down. However, this doesn't change his attitude towards the Grey Maidens and Korvosa's new "Queen".
It's all rotten. he thinks, but remains silent, waiting for Lyla to respond.
Lyla answers evasively, moving the focus back to Davaulus. "Well, we cover a wide array of skills between the five of us, so that would depend on what kind of assistance you need. How exactly have you been treating the patients?"
"I'm sure it would be welcomed by many. Like she mentioned, our list of skills is a wide one."
Karri sees the 'patients' in this room and understands immediately what she needs to do. What, little fleshling? Join them? Show them your scars and plead for them to stop!? Ha! You can't even fight in your dreams, how can you fight when your precious mortal coil is at stake? Her hands try to flex into claws and she has to force them to relax. Legion pushes against her and she feels them twisting beneath her flesh. To still her hands she folds her arms, and through her robes she squeezes the demons rushing through her trying to get into the world. Soon...
"Well, we cover a wide array of skills between the five of us, so that would depend on what kind of assistance you need. How exactly have you been treating the patients?"
The doctor taps his finger on his desk. "Hmm... so far, my subordinates have taken to patrolling the city's streets, setting up shop where they can to distribute treatments for the plague's symptoms. The salves we give them are used to treat ulcers and skin infections, first by scrubbing the afflicted areas with warm water and then by applying the salve to the bleeding sores until they close up."
"In some cases, we require protection from overly desperate mobs that try to overrun our carts and steal what medicine we have to offer." His eyes harden and his nose twitches. "Old Korvosa is especially notorious for that--given the high concentration of plague cases in that district, we have reason to believe this plague started there. It's gotten so bad that the Queen has recently ordered us to quarantine the entire area until the remainder of the city has been treated."
"The patients here, sadly, are mostly... terminal cases." He sighs. "We provide them with palliative care, and ensure that their corpses are properly disposed of when they finally do pass. That was the likely reason my subordinate was rather morbidly emotionally drained when you met him--such a posting takes a toll on one's mind."
"Such noble work. But are you sure there isn't something you're forgetting to mention? I mean we need all the information if we are going to help."
The doctor wrinkles his nose again. "...hmm. Indeed there is."
"Surely you noticed the patients in the other room." He nods at the door. "How they're all of Varisian stock? Curiously enough, the plague refuses to afflict them in any way--not even as asymptomatic carriers. We believe that they hold the cure for this disease, and as such, we are focusing on discovering what it is about them that makes them so special."
His eyes narrow slightly. "I'm quite curious--weren't you briefed on this already? This work was commissioned by the Queen herself, and she's... insisted on screening prospective applicants herself."
"That is intriguing. We were given few details on this. The more we know the better. So you've been experimenting on them?"
"Is that the case? Cutting. Experimenting?" Desperation is cracking Karri's will, but she is clinging on as best she can.
Lyla takes in the information trying to suppress her distaste for Davaulus' method. Wow. Experimenting on living humans. That's really f***** up. She swallows dry and looks back, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the hall behind them. "Those Varisians are all volunteers then, are they?", she asks, baiting Dr. Cardin Davaulus.
As the information bounces around her head, an idea starts to shape up. "In any case, that's really weird... it's not like humans are different from one another that a Chelaxian would be getting sick and a Varisian would not... especially considering all the effort to contaminate them", Lyla ponders, throwing an accusatory stare at Devaulus. She then glances at the floor, furthering her hypothesis.
"Perhaps there's something magic about the disease? I mean, there are kinds of magic that affect some creatures and exclude others." Lyla looks up searching Davaulus' eyes once more. "From what I've seen, Varisians are quite a superstitious bunch. Do they have any theories about that immunity, crazy as they may sound?"
"That is intriguing. We were given few details on this. The more we know the better. So you've been experimenting on them?"
The doctor's lips quirk into a small smile. "Of course. If they hold the secret to curing this plague, it is our sworn duty to discover it, however we must."
"Those Varisians are all volunteers then, are they?"
His smile fades as Lyla speaks up. "They are. They understand that if their city is to survive, then their bodies are the key we need to unravel this mystery."
"In any case, that's really weird... it's not like humans are different from one another that a Chelaxian would be getting sick and a Varisian would not... especially considering all the effort to contaminate them."
"I never said that all Varisians are immune to this plague. Indeed, my subordinates have treated many of their kind when they came to them with their ills." The doctor arches an eyebrow at Lyla.
"Perhaps there's something magic about the disease? I mean, there are kinds of magic that affect some creatures and exclude others." Lyla looks up searching Davaulus' eyes once more. "From what I've seen, Varisians are quite a superstitious bunch. Do they have any theories about that immunity, crazy as they may sound?"
The doctor shakes his head. "Not a one. And it's quite vexing, really."
Nalun grimaces at the talk of cutting, experimenting and plagues. He's not real comfortable with any of those things...
However, he knows now is not the time for violence, or for tipping their hand that they know what this maniac is up to.
Ortik remains silent, silently trying to suss out the plague doctor's intentions here. There's really nothing that the man gives up for most of the conversation, but then his Towers face cracks, smiling slightly despite himself as Demitri asks about experimenting on the Varisian patients. There it is, he thinks to himself. The chink in the armor. He's experimenting alright, but not to work a panacea.
"Do you have any clues on how this illness came to our city, Doctor?", Ortik says. "Or how it spreads? If we can combat the sources, then we can prevent the disease from spreading further than it already has."
"Agreed. The more we know about the source of the illness, the better." Demitri says doing his best to hide his utter disdain for the man.
"Do you have any clues on how this illness came to our city, Doctor?", Ortik says. "Or how it spreads? If we can combat the sources, then we can prevent the disease from spreading further than it already has."
The doctor shrugs, looking a bit bewildered. "Not a one. I don't suppose you have any ideas?"
Demitri raises an eyebrow. He takes a look around the room.
Demitri will calmly move and close the door. He looks to Nalun. "Hold him down. Someone hold the door closed. " Assuming Nalun does so, Demitri then walks over to him. "So we all know that you're full of it. So why don't you tell us everything. If you yell or struggle, my friend that's holding you will hurt you. Don't call my bluff."
When Nalun & Demitri make a move to hold him down, the doctor stands up from behind his desk...
...and doesn't cower. He doesn't even look fazed.
Instead, he starts laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, my heavens, you really are just precious. You think you're predators, aren't you? Striding boldly towards cowering, desperate prey?"
His laughter abruptly stops, and he glares at the inquisitor. The other doctor in the room wordlessly draws a long length of wood.
"I assure you, you're sorely mistaken." The last word comes out as a guttural snarl as his eyes suddenly become just like a rat's...
"Well that makes a lot of sense." Demitri says drawing his silver longsword.
The doctor's face abruptly elongates into a long, rat-like muzzle. The CRACKING and TEARING of flesh and bone echoes throughout the office, and he hunches over slightly while drawing a gleaming rapier. The image of a mantis' head is emblazoned on the sword's pommel.
Brown fur sprouts all over his body, and he chuckles evilly. A long rat tail drops out from under his robe and twitches.
"Indeed." He snarls, his facade of good cheer completely dropped. "Our work will continue. You'll make for a fine test subject."
An exultant shriek escapes Karri as she drops her defenses and lets Legion come rushing forward. Guided by her demons, Karri steps away from the good doctor in the corner and then levels her hand at the now-revealed wererat. Her last words to the doctor are simple, Then, Legion's voice hisses the words of power and she begins summoning allies. Kasdaye whispers to her, We will protect you; we are nothing without your flesh...
Nalun says "Well...this just got interesting." as he draws his new Rapier and moves to engage the good doctor
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The doctor hisses as Nalun's rapier breaks his skin with a *sizzling* noise. "ARGH!"
The Physicians silently start moving into the room, with one of them moving to flank Demitri with the wererat doctor!
Unfortunately, it's clear that this Physician is unused to the rigours of combat--his strike flies completely wide.
Another Physician sweeps past the flat-footed druid & inquisitor and strikes at Karri!
He manages to punctuate her arcane incantation with a blow to her skull!
Another doctor runs at Ortik and swings his club!
The length of wood CRACKS across Ortik's skull, causing a bleeding injury!
The other doctors hang back, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
You think you hear the sounds of a holy trumpet in your ear.
With Legion at the helm, Karri doesn't even stagger or grunt with the obviously grievous wound done to her head. The thousand voices still chant and where her skin is exposed, there is a distinct writhing as her allies come closer to this world.
Demitri activates a judgement of justice and swings at the bad doctor.
The wererat doctor parries Demitri's swing with contempt.
Lyla notices Demitri and Nalun closing in on the doctor and then turns her head to see Oritk surrounded by his minions. The violent bash against the dwarf's skull and the subsequent loud crack makes it clear who needs her assistance more. She takes a step back and throws explosives on the group of masked physicians. "Here's some sleeping medicine, you creeps."
Even Ortik is surprised by the doctor's sudden shift, and the other plague doctor is able to take advantage of the misdirection. A bloody wound opens on his head as the club connects with his skull, and he instinctively throws up his hands to fend off the flames from Lyla's blast, only to feel them wrap around him harmlessly.
"Damn this to Hell, these bastards are all in on this!", he cries, fumbling for his weapon.
Legion hisses, "To the Abyss! Hell cannot have these, gutter-rat!"
One of the Physicians manages to twist and squirm away from the fires that consume his colleague. The burning Physician finally screams in genuine pain, collapsing in a heap while another one's coat gets singed.
The wererat doctor bares his teeth in a snarl and spins on his heel, stabbing at Nalun with his rapier!
The rapier connects with Nalun's shoulder, and the rapier's blade glows red. The pain that comes from the wound seems to be magnified as the bounty hunter's flesh *sizzles*.
Ortik pulls his weapon and shield and backs into a corner, blinking as the blood threatens to trickle into his eyes. "Watch your asses - these 'doctors' are more dangerous than we thought!"
Legion finishes it's call and Karri reaches into herself and draws out handful after handful of fiendish essence. She flings them into the room. The tight spaces are now filled with the smell of searing flesh and the sounds of baying, hungry hounds. The hounds make the doctors that would defy Legion pay for their insolence. Meanwhile Karri turns to leader of these would-be doctors and screeches the words of power as three bolts of abyssal energy slam into the were-rat.
for and
for and
for and
for and
The first Legion hound misses with its jaws, but the second one does not--it leaps upon the doctor's back and knocks him down before savagely tearing his throat out.
The third and fourth hounds work quickly and efficiently, brutally tearing the north doctor to pieces with coordinated flanking attacks. They howl in mad triumph with bits of flesh still hanging from their mouths.
Cardin flinches as Karri's missiles strike him in the chest.
Nalun growls Time for you to die like the Rat you are....
Cardin parries Nalun's thrust and hops away.
The other doctors, witnessing the carnage going on in Cardin's office, swoop in with their clubs. One of them calls out "The master is in danger! Help!" before swinging at Karri's summoned hound...
...and the other follows suit.
The first doctor strikes the hound squarely on the head, but the other's swing hits the doorframe.
The sound of metallic footsteps can be heard from downstairs!
Lyla pulls out her last unused potion sponge and stuffs it in her mouth, chewing vigorously. The halfling girl feels the spicy extract oozing out of the sponge into her mouth, and once it's dried out, she spits out the sponge. As she rushes toward the door, she can feel the burning sensation increasing with every second that passes. She looks out. sees Davulus' minions approaching, and announces "I'll try to hold them back!" Steaming fumes exhale from her mouth, along with her words.