The Logs of the TDFS Tindome

Chapter 49: A Gift of Healing

Once the healer and her translator are in the Healer's Temple, Eïr explains to Khajad that she needs to ask the Grandfather about a sick woman in the temple back there, but what is its name? Through Khajad, she explains about the results of Sarah's spirited response to being imprisoned, and what she has done to treat the woman. They discuss various considerations. The old healer regrets that he has no suitable healer to treat the temple woman.

He has a young priestling fetch a small box containing various drawers with materials, a small burner and pot, and a spoon. He further writes out what she should be doing, in the simplified symbols he uses for the illiterate. He cheerily informs her that this is recognizable as a healer's box, which could keep her from incidents such as they had experienced the previous day.

She shows him her various medications, and explains their uses. He is interested. They separate, and Eïr and Khajad return to Madame Fishilashi's, where they join the others for an excellent lunch.

After the meal, she proudly shows off her box to the two dwarves. Mandorak examines it, and is instantly certain that he can replicate the box, right down to its freshness spell. He can tell that it was made using Pattern, Dicing, Firekey, Alchemy, and Fleshkey. He makes notes for future reference.

Eïr then travels back to the Temple, where she (and Khajad) are let in to see the injured woman. Eïr cooks up one medication and, as it cools, tries a straight, psyonic healing on the girl. It does not seem to have a particular effect on Jhazhneen, but she is no worse. Khajad and Eïr discuss the situation. Eïr comes to understand that her action in attending to Jhazhneen without linking her actions to the group's mission, she has engendered a positive attitude towards our group by the people of this temple. He even observes, "You are very good at this, aren't you?"

She returns for dinner, which is uneventful. After dinner, she and the dwarves go down to the ship. They discuss the merits of different types of wood as they walk, and regretfully decide against stone. At the ship, she attends to Charlie, and her ministrations seem to have a definite, positive effect on him. The dwarves decide on oak for the box, and start to sketch out a design. They examine the original box closely, and notice that some of the drawers are lined with another wood.

They call on Aldamir, and he fingers the various drawers. "This wood is exceptionally dense," he opines, "but it is nothing native to Tighmark or Earth."

Mannie tries his Knack of Tools on the box, and so realizes that the lined drawers preserve these crumbled leaves better, and would preserve certain other herbs well. The two dwarves pull out a few planks of seasoned oak, and start shaping out a box.