Medicine and Poisons

Subject: Medicine and Poisons Sun Mar 02, 2014 12:18 pm

Medicine and Poisons

Index:
General
Apothecaries
Poisons

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General

On Dragons' Cove, health is generally good; outbreaks of the plague or other diseases are generally contained to a single city or region. The peace that has been held over the isle has allowed the population to flourish, with medicine studied by some- mostly harmless work on menial cures, such as for the common cold, coughs and other small problems. There is much less finesse in serious medical study; acquisition of corpses for study is frowned upon, and live patients tend to go to healer dragons for major issues. Lifebloods, Tear dragons and Euphorns are always welcome visitors to human settlements, especially those that are more isolated. Healer Triad worshippers have an especially great reverence for the powers of these breeds.

Simple medicines and cures can be purchased from Apothecaries; doctors can also supply some medicines, although not all are skilled in the art of potion making. Herbs are the most frequently used medicines; magic follows in second. Doctors frequently double as barbers, although in more recent times with outbreaks of war, healing is the main profession. Surgery knowledge is very limited, although wine and spirits are known to work as anesthetics.

An Introduction to Premodern Herbal Medicine, by Jewelclaw of RPG-D :

Cleanliness varies widely from city to city, although generally the population of Dragons' Cove is a cleanly one. Bathhouses are common in settlements, and waterways are generally kept clean. There are few cities with sewers, but other methods of waste removal have been utilised (mostly dung carts).

Diet is pleasantly variable, and culturally diverse across the isle, with specialty foods associated with some cities and races. Vegetables or cereals are generally the basis of a meal, although meat and dairy products are also readily sourced. Game, poultry and venison are the most frequently eaten meats. Pork and beef are infrequently consumed; festivals are generally the time that these large animals are slaughtered. Fish is eaten more rarely due to the difficulties of fishing. It can be found relatively cheaply in Jiluria however, and the red goblin clan that live on the northern coast make a stable of ocean produce.

Food is generally plain, with stews, pies and soups well known to all households. Cakes, honey and candied fruits are eaten less frequently, but are not complete luxuries. More exotic and varied foods are served to royalty and the nobility, including rich entertainment dishes.

Ale, mead, cider and weak beer are drunk most commonly; water quality varies across the isle, and is often poor within cities. Some do choose to drink water however- those who have strong stomachs! Wine is reserved for the richest of families. Juices are generally not drunk, as fruit is eaten rather than pressed. Milk is also rarely drunk, except by children and babies.

Subject: Re: Medicine and Poisons Sun Mar 02, 2014 12:19 pm

Apothecaries

Apothecaries are the one-stop shopping spot for magical ingredients, scattered all across the continent in vast numbers. These stores stock the various plants, animal parts, and recipes needed for the many potions and spells that mages young and old cast. Medicines and cure-alls are the items most frequently sold to general folk- followed by 'love' potions that do nothing, in the shadier parts of the isle. Cures for many poisons can be found in these stores, generally to those that are common locally. There are not many towns that lack these stores, and there isn’t a city that doesn’t have at least one apothecary.

Prices at these stores can vary greatly. Cost typically depends on whether an ingredient is local and the quality of the product. Buildings dedicated to apothecaries often carry a wide variety of rare, higher quality goods as well as the more common and general items, while street venders are more specialized and sell lower quality items in bulk. Many stores rely on trade routes to stock their shelves, with those settled in the desert or tundra relying entirely on caravans.

Apothecarians can earn a good living wage once a customer base has been built up; most of those in the business have been in the business their whole lives, with it passing down through the generations. Some traders opt to make a little extra money by selling more specialised, illegal goods such as poisons, Charkoras stone and goblin narcotics, but most apothecaries are honest.

Subject: Re: Medicine and Poisons Sun Mar 02, 2014 12:29 pm

Poisons

Poisons are uncommon on Dragons’ Cove, as the land is primarily peaceful. Nevertheless, there are some that deal in this trade. Books concerning poisons can be sourced with difficulty, as can ready-made poisons, but questions are sure to accompany either.
Rudimentary knowledge of poison and poisonous plants is common however, due to the closeness of the population to the land. Any tinkerer could theoretically brew a poison with little difficulty, although in practice this rarely occurs.

There are three major types of poison that are found on Dragons’ Cove: plant based, animal and dragon-based, and magic-based.

Plant-based poisons are those derived solely from vegetation found on the isle. The fastest plant-based poisons are aconite and oleander, which work instantaneously. Longer working poisons include belladonna (derived from deadly nightshade), hemlock and laurel.
Not all poisons kill! If caught quickly enough, most have an antidote, although the availability of these vary. The concentration and dosage of poison is a key factor to whether death occurs; foxglove for example, must have an exact dosage for death to occur. Too little causes sickness and wasting, but not death- too much causes extreme vomiting, which expels the poison from a body before it becomes fatal.

A Modern Herbal of some poisonous plants: Here
How to -some poisons/situations mentioned are not applicable to Dragons' Cove: Here -Trigger warning-

Animal and dragon-based poisons are harvested from toxic animals. Snakes and lizards are most commonly harvested for venom. Acid dragons, Ebony Hunters, Fume dragons and Serpent dragons are inherently toxic, and can produce deadly poisons. However, these poisons are rare and expensive due to the nature of dragons. Antidotes are even rarer; once a poison is used, there is no turning back.

Magic-based poisons are the most difficult to source, but also reward the most specific results. With the right combination of ingredients, magic poisons can be created that can sicken or kill a victim at a given point in time, with any combination of symptoms.
Magic-based poisons are not well known and infrequently brewed. The most well-known magic-based poison is Charkoras stone. Although not specifically created like most magic-based poisons, Charkoras stone has a notorious reputation for draining a magic user of their power.
Charis poison is a more typical magic-based poison, which blurs the boundary between physical and magical, allowing it to kill any man, including a lich. This poison is made from ¼ part Ebony Hunter’s blood, ¼ blister beetle juice and ½ nightshade.

Needless to say, any and all poisons that are not used for medical purposes are illegal to possess, and those found owning them are heavily questioned and their stocks removed.