Working with the Blessed (and the not so blessed) along with the acolytes has become a daily routine now for Penance, even if it's been getting more difficult to manage. This is primarily due to her failing eyesight as her cataracts continue to develop. Aside from her echolocation she has assistance from her little cult of Garter Naga. They can swarm over a petitioner and provide a provide a fairly good diagnoses of their problem.
Even though the acolytes have gotten better at this themselves, there are still cases that Penance has to personally check on, and as a result 'produce' a treatment. Such production still means being ravished by Otto and then having her breasts pumped, with her 'milk' then being collected by Crabs to use as a treatment.
Today, things look generally blobby to her, as her eyes continue to dim. If sunlight ever penetrated this deeply it might help, but lantern and candle light just lets her see the source of light more than anything it illuminates. She stands outside of the diagnosis tents right now, waiting for someone to fetch her if there's a case she needs to attend to personally. The Garter high priest coils upon her head, while the rest of the flock weave together to form a living scarf.
It's also apparent now that all the time in the stretchers have adversely affected her poor nipples. They're not pert, nor do they get that perky from stimulation. When the stretchers are removed for milking, they sort of flop over and even without tension they're over an inch and a half long now and look a bit more like a rhugrhat teat than an Eee nipple. On the plus side, the longer they get, the easier she is to milk. At least she can't see them anymore! At least not very well. She's more concerned about her eyesight. Is this permanent? Will it get worse daily until she sees nothing? Not that she can see much now anyway. Is really another thing that Gorphat has 'taken' in trade? Still, she tries to not let inner worries show on her face at least as she stands there. She is looking around a lot from time to time, testing her vision, squinting, maybe hopeful, but.
The range of her field of view is.. not far. She can still make out the shape of her hand if she holds it straight out, but her fingers can barely be made out. Having bare black skin doesn't help. She clearly hears someone approaching though, and the Garter on her head sort of leans in the direction that Penance should be facing.
And so, Penance turns in that direction to face whomever is approaching. She's also wishing she could bleach her skin white to make it easier to see at this point. "Hello?" she says.
"Yodhgorphat," the voice responds. A Skreek. "There's someone we can't.. check? Our horribs won't let us enter the tent, so we don't know what to do. He was rejected by the Sacred Blarf, and ended up here."
"They won't let you in? That's worrisome and doesn't make much sense," Penance admits, her head canting curiously. "I may not be allowed in either, but ... if you lead me to the tent I can try?" What in the world would scare off horribs and make even the weird fungus tree thing turn them away?
The Skreek leads the way to a tent set apart from the others. For a moment, Penance gets a good 'view' of the interior when the occupant lets out loud cough, which is followed by a wet splat sound from a bucket. When the flap is pulled aside, she gets an even better sonar view with the next cough. It's coming from an extremely gaunt Eeee, whose entire body shakes with each cough, and otherwise rattles when he breathes normally. What stands out the most to Penance is that she sees a silver flame coming out of the top of the person's head. It thins out into a line that vanishes through the top of the tent.
Penance stops at the entrance. She also squints, wondering if she's now hallucinating. "You are not well," she says, stating the obvious. "Can you tell me when this started? And for how long?" And then she's actually walking closer to the man as if she wants to reach out and touch that strange flame.
"Got bad.. uh.. a while back," the man rattles, and coughs up another blob for the bucket. Penance can smell the blood in it. "Back on Mt. Blakat. Finally saw the snake doctor. She said it was bad.. something. A big word. She gave me anti-bug-icks or something, and said I should start saying goodbye to people. Then those guys with the eyes on their ponchos came round. I guess someone told them about me, and they carried me here." Another pause for a series of coughs. At the end of them, the silver thread looked like it faded out before getting to the roof of the tent now. "Took me to some kinda monster," he continues. "It stuck a vine down my throat.. nearly choked. But then it pulled out and that was it. Then I was in this tent."
"Ah, yes, the Doctor. I know her. If she says this is bad ... she is likely right. I am not sure what we can do for you other than provide you comfort. But, I can see if our records have any clues on what may be the cause and if there is any known treatments," Penance says, politely, and perhaps a bit worriedly. "Just try to take it easy and rest. I have one more small clue that may shed light on things, but ... it needs to be checked."
"Aye," the man says, and coughs into his bucket. "Bring a Yodhsunala if you have one.."
"Do not give up so quickly," Penance admonishes him. "Endure." And with that she turns and heads to the tent to try and find one of the acolytes.
The one that brought is still standing there. "I think there is a Yodhsunala in the indoors ward," the Skreek says when Penance exits the tent.
"You may wish to alert her. But also can you go into the Temple and request the librarian quickly check the books for illnesses that refer to silver threads?" Penance asks of them. "I saw some odd threads coming from the man and wish to see if that hints at anything."
"Yes, Yodhgorphat!" the Skreek says and runs off to find Crabs. The Garter on Penance's head says, "Panacea, the man is coughing up pieces of his lung. Sometimes the bad air would get into our tunnels, and those caught in it would do the same, but I did not smell bad air on this man."
Penance' head bobs. "I could somewhat tell that. He is not in good shape, and they are right it is likely he may not survive much longer. But, it is my duty to check, just in case. Also, to know if there is anything bad that could spread. We must try to prevent such things from becoming an epidemic."
The Yodhsunala arrives first, landing next to Penance. She's more visible than other people have been, as if there's a different sort of light involved. Her voice seems older, when she asks, "Is that the tent?" She points to it, and Penance can see the pointing finger, since it seems to have a slightly silver outline to it.
Penance nods. "He is ... not well. Violent coughing, blood. I do not think he will live long, but we are checking records to try and identify his condition," she says to the Yodhsunala. "I also saw a silvery thread that came out of the top of his head, if that has any meaning to you?"
"Silver... was there a flame, as if from a candle?" the Yodhsunala asks.
"A bit like that, yes," Penance admits.
"Your eyes are clouded," the Yodhsunala notes. "Can you blink for me?"
Penace' brow arches a little at that. But, the Yodhgorphat does indeed blink.
"Hmmm," the other Yodh goes, leaning closer. "Again, please."
Penance blinks again, and holds them closed a bit longer.
This time she feels something odd when closing her eyes, as if the skin of her forehead was also being pulled down. After opening them again, the tug goes away. "Better," the Yodhsunala says, and then presses her thumb to the center of Penance's forehead, which agitates the Garter somewhat, since he considers Penance to be his church. "Now, close your eyes," she requests, still holding her thumb against Penance.
"What did you do?" Penance asks; that felt mightily weird! Slowly, she closes one eye, then the other.
Once both eyes are closed, the tug on her forehead is blocked by the presence of the Yodhsunala's thumb. But now Penance sees a bright silver flame atop the woman's head, which actually seems to cast light across her features. A long silver thread rises up into the air from it. And there are others as well. She sees green and red flames nearby, each attached to one of the acolytes, and differently colored ones for others.
"Wah!" goes Penance and stumbles in shock! "Now I'm seeing all sorts of flames. Red, green, and Silver ones. Yours is really bright!"
The Yodhsunala removes her thumb. "So, you have the blessing of the Third Eye," she explains. "You should be able to open and close it as if it where a normal one, if you practice."
Penace' face scrunches up a bit. "Do I actually have a third eye up there now?" she asks and now reaches up to feel where the Yodhsunala has her thumb pressed. "I have never heard of this."
"You do not have a physical third eye, but your spirit does," the Yodhsunala explains. "Many try to cultivate this, but only a Kindly One can bestow it. The colors tell you which Sister has the most influence over a person, while the strength of the light generally denotes talent. The length of the line is how much life they have in them. It also does not bode well for this patient. Silver is the mark of Sunala."
Well, small mercies she doesn't have a real third eye! She has plenty of other weird problems! "Then it is unlikely he will live long. We may need to burn the body to avoid any contagion spread. Are there any procedures or allowances to perform such in these cases by Sunala?" Penance asks.
"I can perform the last rites for him from outside of the tent," the other Yodh notes. "His body and the tent must be burned with Gorphat's fire afterwards. You'll need someone with a bright red or yellow flame for that."
"Understood," Penance agrees. "I was near-ish to him, but I should be protected. No one else has been near."
"How short was his life line when you saw him?" the Yodhsunala asks.
"It did not reach the top of the tent, and compared to yours, his is the procession, yours in the sun, in brightness," Penance explains.
"Very well, I will begin the rites now then," the older Yodh says. "His life will end with them, but it will be peaceful and painless. Have you used Gorphat's Flame before?"
"I have not," Penance admits, "Most of us here are new to the faith." She does start 'looking' around for a bright red or yellow 'flame', now, too.
There's a red one belonging to one of the Yodhgorphat acolytes nearby, and the flame seems pretty big.
"You!" Penance declares and points right at the acolyte. "I need you to come here. You are needed for a rite."
The called upon Eeee startles at being singled out, and comes over. Her worry may be causing the flame to flicker a bit. "Yes, Yodhgorphat," she says, bowing her head. "What do you need of me... that hopefully isn't too complicated?" she asks.
"Have you been studying and practicing any arts since you joined the Temple? Can you perform the blessing of Fire?" Penance interrogates, a bit haughty about it too, perhaps to re-instill she is in charge? That or she's just insecure.
"The.. the what? Fire?" the acolyte says nervously. "The Cleansing Fire," the Yodhsunala offers. Then she steps closer to the tend and kneels down to begin her own rite.
"I'm sorry, Yodhgorphat Penance," the acolyte says. "I just practice my prayers. Is it a special prayer?"
"It is more you need to invoke your faith and will to Gorphat to perform it," Penance claims, and while sorta true it's glossing over a lot. "It's more about your faith and will than what is said. In this case it would be perhaps: "Oh Mother of Gorphat, giver of challenges and the one who forges us in Her fire, we call upon you to remove a blight that is beyond the ability of mortals to weather. Without your protection and defense, our City may wither before its onslaught instead of growing stronger. We entreat you to remove this blight and scorch all of it that resides here in this tent." She pauses and taps the Acolyte on the forehead after, adding, "And believe it as you say it."
"That sounds serious," the acolyte says, even more nervous than before. But she gets down on her knees, and tries the invocation. "Oh Mother Gorphat.." Unsure what to do with her hands, she sort of just holds them in a pose of supplication.
"No, no, you need to say it with conviction," Penance admonishes the acolyte. She also goes to peer in to see if he's still alive or not. Or if she can even tell.
The Yodhsunala is still performing her rites. The man is lying on his side on the cot, breath rattling. He seems to be unconscious though, and there's barely any thread above his flame now. There is some flickering in the bucket however, hinting at something alive.
Penance pats the Acolyte on the shoulder. "Please hold until the Yodhsunala finishes. Use the time to prepare yourself, please," she requests.
The girl startles again, and says, "Yes Yodhgorphat. I almost felt something last time." She bows her head and keeps up the prayer. Penance can see part of her flame jump to her hand for a moment before jumping back.
"You're doing fine. Just breath deep, calm, and then speak when it is time. Do not panic, do not force, just speak with conviction and faith," Penance encourages.
In the tent, the man's flame begins to flicker and shrink, and his breathing stops. Once it's out entirely, the Yodhsunala stands back up and walks away from the tent. "You must purify it now. There will be no recovery for his body, but that is what the rites are for," she says when she reaches Penance and the acolyte.
"Now, please," Penance tells the acolyte and places her hand upon her shoulder for reassurance. "You can do this, I have seen it within you. Simply have .. faith."
"Oh, Mother Gorphat.." the acolyte prays, head bowed and voice soft. Slowly, a ball of green flame begins to form in her cupped hands. Penance can see that it's being fed from the girl's own flame, which diminishes as the other grows. Eventually it's the size of an balled fist, and doesn't look like it's going to get any bigger without draining the girl too much.
"That looks good, now extend your hands towards the tent as if casting away something," Penance requests and pats the Acylote's shoulder again. "The tent must be burned completely to destroy that which festers."
The girl opens her eyes and looks at what is sort of hovering in her hands. She looks like she wants to get rid of it, certainly! She tries to lob it towards the tent. It only gets halfway before drifting to the ground, but not touching it. From there is rolls towards the tent and even inside the flap, followed by a whoomph sound and the whole thing turning into a green bonfire.
"See! You did it!" Penance enthuses. "We ... should probably back up a bit." So, she tugs on the acolyte and starts walking backwards!
The fire burns for quite a while, and other acolytes come over to watch. When Crabs shows up he has to push through them. Penance sees that his flame flickers back and forth between green and blue, without the colors mixing. "I'm here Penance, and I got notes.." he starts to say, then looks at the fire. "Why's it green?" he then asks.
"Gorphat's Cleansing fire. The tent was contaminated; the man had passed, and thus it needed to be cleansed. It looks like we have a new master of that ritual," Penance claims and pats the caster on the back. "She did superbly. Now, what did the notes say, if anything?"
After the pat, the acolyte nearly falls over. Her flame isn't quite back up to where it was, so this sort of thing takes a toll. Crabs reports, "There a lot of lung infections, but some can sit fer years and then turn really bad and contagious. It could have been Plaguebringer stuff that he breathed in during the last war. There's this spore that turns into a lung fungus and den spreads to the whole body once it's dead, so it can burst into more spores."
"That sounds ... bad. It is good it is being burned," Penance says, nods. "Perhaps we should ask Gorphat to give this acolyte a blessing for all her dedication and skill..."
"A.. Blessing blessing?" one of the other acolytes asks. "Like boils?"
"Yes? It is an honor, is it not?" Penance asks them.
"I could use a nap," the fire-starting acolyte claims. "Can it be a Blessing that needs lots of rest?"
"Is it a group prayer then?" another asks, which others seem to think is the right way to go.
"Or ... I suppose you can have time for a nap. But then you have to clean the privy," Penance claims with a straight face.
"We.. we clean that?" one of the Skreeks asks in surprise.
"You're supposed to!" Penance barks, "Have you not been?"
"I kin take her to the Temple," Crabs offers. "So some empty cots on my way through."
Penance nods to Crabs. "Please. I know rituals are taxing. She does need rest," the priestess says. "And maybe a crotch rash."
"I just cataloged dat jar, easy to find!" Crabs claims as he helps the exhausted Eeee stand up.
"I'm kidding," Penance admits.
"Maybe a treat later den," Crabs says. "Or dyin' her green."
"Oh! Dying her green. Yes! That is an absolute honor. One I alas cannot have," Penance laments.
"We got lots of dye," Crabs assures, and helps the acolyte wobble towards the Temple. They're soon out of sight, save for their flames and threads.
Penance breathes out. "That could have gone worse," she mutters, and rubs her own forehead. "Maybe I should take a nap too." She reaches up and rubs her own chest, and makes one nipple flop around. "Not sure I'll get used to that," she complains.
"I don't think there are any others that need your direct attention, Yodhgorphat," one of the more organized of the acolytes says. Which means she doesn't have to bed Otto this time.
Which mainly means being on hands and knees as she's railed, and feels nothing good from it anyway! "Is there anything I do need to tend to?" Penance asks.
"Blarf rejected that poor man," one of the Skreeks points out. "Should he be checked out?"
"Check Blarf? He should be fine, but .. probably," Penance admits. "To make sure none of the contagion spread."
"Do you need a guide?" One of the Skreeks asks.
"I ... maybe?" Penance admits. "I think I can find it, though. Just keep watch and help if I ask" And at that she turns to ping a bit to orient, then move towards the largest soft ping, which should be that tent.
The way is well worn at least, which makes it easier to navigate to the big tent.
The inside of the tent is alive with moving lights. Not only the flames of the patients but the energy flowing through the Blarf's trunk and vines. There is one vine that has a silvery glow to it though, and it's lying across the ground.
"Can someone bring a torch, please. And an axe?" Penance calls out. "This vine needs to be cut and burned."
"I have a knife," the rat that came with her says. One of the regular attendants says, "We have oil for the lamps."
"That will work," Penance says as she moves up the vine until it's a few feet from the ... bad part. "Can you cut it off right here?" she indicates. "And once it's cut, cover it with lamp oil and light it. The cut off part that is."
The Skreek goes to work. Blarf's hide is pretty tough to get through, so there's a bit of sawing (and biting) involved. The attendant starts bringing the banked lanterns over and pulls out their reservoirs.
"We're doing this because that end is infected with something bad. We had to burn a tent earlier to clear it of contagion," Penance explains as to why this is being done. "If it spreads, it will be deadly."
"Is the smoke safe?" the attendant asks, while the Skreek finally saws through the last of the tendril. "I got through!" she announces.
"The smoke should be fine. Just do not touch any of that end," Penance explains. She also addresses the one that was cutting, "That area was clean and safe, it's away from the contagion. Good work."
Holding onto the just cut end, the Skreek drags it a bit further away from Blarf before dropping it. Then the attendant starts pouring the lamp oil. "It's hard to realize Blarf can be infected," the attendant says.
"It cannot for the most part. This infection may be a plaguebringer remnant. Intentionally nasty," Penance explains. "So it can even infect this thing."
Soon the tainted length of tendril is aflame. It looks odd to Penance, since it's just a regular flame and therefore a bit dim, while she can see the silver clearer as it burns away.
"Good. That's working. The plague of death is burning away," Penance says and actually looks a bit relieved. "We need to be vigilant when we get extremely ill people. Especially from the undercity. We will need to ..." She pauses there and frowns. "Hey, can someone send a message to the group at Mount Blakat. We need to identify where that man came from. We may need to send a cleansing squad there to make sure no one else falls ill."
"The Eyes were here not long ago," the attendant says. "They brought in a man that Blarf used that tendril on. They go back and forth to Mt. Blakat every day."
"Have them checked out for contagion and ask their leader to ferry a note back. We need to make sure we can trace the man's path so we can find the source," Penance claims.
"I can look for dem in the Temple," the Skreek volunteers, since the attendant is presumably still on duty in the tent.
"Please do. I apologize, but I am concerned about this disease. It was not Gorphat-made, but made by evil people, it isn't a trial, it is death," Penance claims.
It isn't too long before the Eyes of Gorphat return with the Skreek. Foz says, "Here we are. It was me, Fig and Shiv what went over earlier and picked up the old guy. He was in a tent, and coughin' dry and wheezin'. Just skin and bone."
"That's the one," Penance agrees as she peers at Foz. "Do you have any idea where he was from? He had a disease that may have come from the Plaguebringers. We should track its source."
Foz has an orange flame, but not a very big one. "I didn't think t' ask about that!" the Eeee says. "Mebbe the doc knows, she treated him. But he didn't start horking up blood and bits until we got him to that other tent."
"That's good, it probably hasn't spread then. But, do please send a letter to the doctor and see of she knows where he was from. We may need to send a group to cleanse that area," Penance explains.
"Like.. like the classic kinda cleansing?" Foz asks. "With the fireballs?"
"Yes, but not killing people. We only want to remove the disease if there are hot spots," Penance promises.
"He was old, couldn't have come very far on his own, didn't have no one lookin' after him," Foz says. "But we'll find out, if it can be found out! We're the Eyes of Gorphat after all."
"That's all I can ask for. We're here to protect people, the lost and infirm. It is our duty," Penance says, reverently.