Surgeon of Onshi

> "*My good fellow, surely ‘tis not difficult to understand; perhaps the suggestion of a woman wearing a mask is that she does not want others to know who she is.*"
> ― The Surgeon
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The **Surgeon of Onshi**, usually known just as the **Surgeon**, was arguably the most famous and the most well-liked of the Jesters. She was known to operate within the city of Onshi, though her residence was never located. She died in 952 AD, killed by a Putrid One while attempting to heal one of its victims. At least, that is the official story, but rumours of her existence continue to this day.

The Surgeon became something of an angelic figure amongst the Onshians due to her dedication to healing the needy without demanding payment in return. As she took no money, it is unknown how she sustained herself, but clearly she was able to as she persisted in Onshi for many centuries. She used a combination of powerful healing magic and expert medical knowledge and surgical skills to heal her patients. Her famous uniform also added to her mythical image; her distinctive white coat and hood (through which her antlers poked), brown leather gloves and boots and red and gold patterned fox mask became symbols of salvation across the country.

The image of this white hooded, antlered figure with the iconic fox mask stalking the streets at night, looking for people to save, became something of a national symbol of Onshi and still is to this day. This style of dress was soon adopted by the Onshian doctors, but they wore plain black masks rather than patterned red and gold ones out of respect. The mask is also often taken up by left-wing activists in Onshi who claim the Surgeon to have been some kind of socialist heroine, and it is the symbol of the Onshian Socialist Party.

From what has been described of the Surgeon's behaviour from eyewitnesses, she seemed to be the least "Jesterlike" of the known Jesters, acting in a relatively normal and sane fashion and having a Human-like sense of empathy - but she still had a habit of speaking in antiquated and elaborate language, often in rhyme, and seemed to take delight in confusing people she came across. Whilst she certainly cared to some extent about her patients, descriptions of her behaviour from eyewitnesses tend to suggest that the main reason she took up her profession was because she greatly enjoyed the puzzle of treating injuries and diagnosing ailments, and she was particularly thrilled by saving a patient from the brink of death.

Historians now generally agree that there were two Jesters going by the name of the Surgeon, and that the second, much more famous one was the daughter of the first - possibly sired by a Dark Elf, but this is disputed. The first Surgeon was present in Onshi seemingly since time immemorial and disappeared from the historical record - presumably dying - in around 300 BC. Since the Surgeon is not mentioned again until approximately 190 BC, this is when the second one is assumed to have begun her operations.

Rumours of Dark Elvish ancestry had always accompanied the second Surgeon, but this claim is mainly substantiated by reports of a slight purple tinge to her pale skin and her possession of a physique which was generally taller, more muscular and less gaunt than typical Jester females. One popular tradition asserts that her Dark Elf parent was Kashita, a deified prophetess revered by most Atonakians, but this is pure speculation with no real substantiating evidence.