The Physician's Guide to Inoculation

*( The paper has been tacked together with a thick steel staple, pinning all of the pages of the document together neatly. The sheets of parchment are sandwiched between two stiffened leather bindings, fastened closed with a brass buckle.)*

## **INTRODUCTION - INOCULATION**

**“Inoculation is the process of introducing a weakened virus to a healthy host, as to create an immunity to the infection with milder risks and symptoms - While this is not a permanent cure, It is the first hope of survival.”**

 There is very little that we know about the living body - Human, Elven, or Orcish - Why some perish from simple infections while others are able to fight off a nasty Flu is still a mystery - Though we have begun to figure out this puzzle through a revolutionary new procedure:

Inoculation.

By taking the blood of an infected individual - or rather, a vessel - who is fighting off an infection, and introducing that weakened virus to a healthy host, One is able to give the new host a much better chance of survival as well as a shorter window of infection. This is the current process that we know as Inoculation. It is truly a Gods-send, but there are many drawbacks and terms that One must learn before being able to prepare themselves or someone else for treatment.

## **INTRODUCTION - TERMS**

There are many terms that one must learn, before proceeding with preparations for both themselves and the Patient. Outlined in this section will be the vast majority of these terms - Ones that must become memorized, as to avoid a fatal mistake either to Oneself, or the Patient.

**INTRAVENOUS TRANSFUSION, I.V** - The medical process of using a thin, long needle with flexible hollow tubing to draw blood from one being, and put it into another being. The process is self-regulating, as the recipient can only take so much blood before the pressure from the donator equals the recipient's blood pressure. **This should not be done from person-to-person, as It leads to C. A.**

**CARDIAC ARREST** - The process when a heart suddenly stops and effectively kills the afflicted person - This can occur via person-to-person blood transfer, a large electrical shock, or from mass accumulation of stress - though these are rare.

**BBT-A (Blue Bile Treatment-A)** - This is a tincture that has been formulated by The Lattish Plague Guild and has proven to slow down the rate of expiration in those who have been infected - Though, in its current state, It is fairly toxic to humans, and should be administered carefully for those of that race. For those of Elvish race, and Orcish race, the toxicity is mild enough to be negligent. Half-Races have yet to be tested.

**VESSEL -** An animal that has been infected with The Blue Bile Plague intentionally, in order to fight off the Plague on the behalf of a sentient race. Larger animals, such as certain breeds of horses, are theorized to fare better against the infection. This is as of yet untested, and -unproven-.

## **WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE**

1. **The Plague is transferred via bodily fluids, air, and contamination.**
2. **The Plague can be effectively prevented by eye, mouth, and nose covers.**
3. **The Plague afflicts all known SENTIENT life forms. It kills non-sentient life forms outright most of the time. (Rats, Horses, Livestock, ECT.)**
4. **The Plague, as of now, has Its origins rooted in Carno/Necro-Mancy.**
5. **The Plague can be affected by local herbal substances (See BBT-A)**
6. **The Plague can be affected by Carnomancy, to a degree.**
7. **The Plague can be sanitized via Fire, Strong Alcohol, and Cold. (-10C)**
8. **The Plague follows a strict course, with consistent, repeating symptoms.**
9. **The Plague, when in a large volume of salt water, poses no threat.**
10. **NOT EVERY ANIMAL IS KILLED BY THE PLAGUE. (Fleas, Scorpions, Some genus of Spiders, and the Common Coral Crab.**

## **PHYSICIAN PREPARATIONS**

To those brave Physicians who are to perform this procedure:

The utmost care is to be made to keep the workspace clean - Regular washings with strong alcohol of above 100 proof are to be done after each cough from the afflicted patient - Phlegm, Blood, or other bodily fluids are to be cleaned up with a gauze patch soaked in alcohol, before being promptly thrown into a roaring hot fire to sterilize the work space, and avoid a pile-up of infectious matter.

The Physician MUST be wearing full face coverings at all times, with non-porous (Leather) gloves sporting long cuffs to be used at all times when in contact with the patient. As well, a long leather apron is to be worn at all times, with the end of the smock not going above the knee at any point.

**Everything MUST BE SOAKED IN ALCOHOL THEN BURNED AFTER THE PROCEDURE. GLOVES, MASK, APRON, SHOES AND EXPOSED CLOTHING ARE TO BE INCINERATED, TO PREVENT RE-INFECTION.**

## **THE PATIENT’S PREPARATIONS**

The Patient, if they are in a state where the infection is mild and has not progressed beyond the **THIRD DAY,** they are to receive the following treatment:

Soak a rag well in boiling water, wringing it out tight and setting it over the mouth. Instruct them to draw in as large a breath as possible - This should induce coughing. The phlegm will adhere to the hot rag - Cast it then into the fire from which the boiling pot was made. With the lungs cleared for the time being, they are to be given a cup of seawater, preferably hot. They are NOT to drink this, but rather, gargle the seawater in order to break up more of the phlegm. The gargle wash must be put back into the cup, and the remaining space filled with alcohol. Allow it to sit and sanitize.

With the throat passage clear, Instruct them to take a  full vial dose of the Blue Bile Treatment A - Some vials should have been supplied already to areas that are common to those with proper medical practices (The Common’s House, The Latteras Academy of Magic, ect.) in a wooden crate, filled half-way with sand as to prevent the shattering of the vials. The tincture should be a dark brown color, and smell strong of Koflordian Orchards.

This process is to be repeated 3 times a day, for the next two to four days - This should allow the patient to breath better, and allow for the immune system to grow stronger. **AFTER THE PATIENT HAS PROGRESSED INTO THE FIFTH DAY OF SYMPTOMS, WITH INTENSIVE CARE HAVING BEEN GIVEN FOR 1-2 DAYS, ONLY THEN CAN INOCULATION BEGIN.**

## **INOCULATION**

First thoroughly clean the donor and recipient needles in boiling alcohol, as to sterilize them both and reduce the possibility of re-infection or septic infection. Taking a clean gauze patch, soak it thoroughly in the boiling alcohol solution. Use this to wipe a spot on the right forearm, on the underneath of the forearm. Cast the  dirty gauze into the fire. In Humans, Elves, and Drows, the vein that you will need to insert the needle into will be visible when elastic is wrapped around the arm below the elbow, then tied, restricting the blood flow. This vein will be darker than the others, as It has less oxygenated blood.

Insert the needle swiftly but with precision into the darkened vein, laying the needle flat against the forearm to ensure lack of bleeding. Wipe the bleeding away with a gauze patch, casting It then into the fire. Using an adhesive patch, preferably a thin strip of bandage and glue, affix the needle so that It does not move - freeing up the hands of the Physician. The next process should be handled with extreme care, as the Arthropod will be a carrier of Blue Bile - heed caution to not be bitten or pinched.

The Coral Crab should be mostly docile, if they have not been used before with the process - If they are to be hostile, however, It is recommended to turn them onto their back, so that they may not pinch the Physician performing their works. On the belly of the Crab, will be a particular spot of interest - a dark blue ‘node’ that recycles all the blood of the being - The liver. Between the 5th and 6th plate, administer the needle no deeper than four inches within the Crab’s underbelly. If done correctly, the flexible hosing will darken, as the pressure inside the Crab forces the inoculated blood into the patient.

The Crab, though as hearty as It is, will often perish after being administered to a patient - The damage to the liver being fatal in most cases. If the Crab perishes, dispose of It in a fire. ***DO NOT EAT THE CRAB***. The time window of infection to immunization for the common Coral Crab is short, as they dwell in the infected sewers. The crabs that are immune to The Blue Bile plague will sport a dark indigo-blue spot, where the liver is. If they lack this, they are not to be used.

After the patient has received most, if not all of the blood of the Crab (Told by the discoloration and paling of the eye stocks - Turning from a dark muddy brown to a pale ‘dry dirt’ tan) they are to have the needle removed from both themselves and the Crab, to be set inside of the still-boiling alcohol to sterilize and disinfect. After 20 minutes, the needles should be safe to handle and re-administer. The patient should be moved into a clean bed, and are to be given Winter-harvest Reem-berry tea five times daily, to assist with the passing of The Blue Bile.

The patient, even after having received Inoculation in full, should be kept on bedrest for two days after the last of the effects of The Plague have passed - Usually this will be the distinct lack of phlegm when the previously infected patient went into a coughing fit - If coughing is still present, It may be due to the inherent damage that the plague does to those who are afflicted by It.

## **EFFECTS**

After the patient has received a full dose of the Vessel animal’s blood, They will go through a distinct course of ridding the Blue Bile Plague from their body - Initially, the process will consist of an ‘Itching of the veins’ - This is to be expected, as the blood is foreign and they will not be used to having something else’s humor inside of them - Simply acknowledge this, offering a painkiller of mild effect to prevent the patient from itching, to reduce risk of re-infection.

The second effect, almost an hour after the dose, will be a violent purging of the phlegm via forceful, constant coughing - It is recommended to assist the patient via hot soaked rags, but ***heed caution - as they will still be infectious at this state.*** This process can range anywhere from a single hour to forty hours - and during this time, The Physician should still wear their full garb, as outlined above in preparations. After coughing has ceased, Remove the patient from the room to clean then sterilize the bedsheets, walls, and floor with hot alcohol. Any cloth that was used or was coughed upon are to be burned, and the smoke not to be inhaled.

Even after The Plague has left the patient’s body, They will be permanently marred by the disease, Typically consisting of a pale or dull skin & eye tone with notable steel-blue tinge (Currently coined as ‘Paling’), Damage to the lungs, trachea, and esophagus - Depending on how far the disease’s progress was. If the inoculation is given to a patient without the plague, these symptoms can be avoided entirely - and they be immunized against the Blue Bile menace.

## **CREDITS**

( Turning the last page over in the book, There was a separate bundle of roughly organized papers in chronological order. They seem to be accrediting people who had helped to make the total coalition of research here a possibility. )

**Higg Sigmund (aeuve) - The inventor of the Blue Bile Cure, Publisher of The Physician’s Guide to Inoculation, & Head Researcher for the Blue Bile Plague.**

The Late Lendra Sadion, The Aspiring Alchemist (Tomosake)

Lendra’s Credits: Lending Higg Sigmund a copy of her recipe for what was then known as Blue Bile Treatment 1, or BBT-A. Her research gave us a foothold to combat The Plague, for we know from her works that The Plague can be made less ravenous through proven means.

The Late Doctor Henry Mansfeild, The Physician (bl8etr2e)

Henry’s Credits: From helping venture East to collect samples, to teaching proper sterilization and treatments, information on numerous extractions, compounds, tinctures and medications, Proper teachings about how to disinfect and clean The Plague without being afflicted, as well as testing then-untested utilities, such as the now-known Tongue Depressor, to inspect, confirm, and contain those afflicted without invasive means - Not to mention the assistance and investment into finding ‘Golden Blood’ subjects to undergo Intravenous Transfusion - Their good works shall never be played down.

The Late Graphos Flammensheild, The Alchemist’s Son (T0XICBLAST)

Graphos’s Credits: They generously allowed Higg into their home, for they had heard of the need to find a most skilled Alchemist. As fate would have it, Their father was one such Alchemist - and with their assistance, They helped find invaluable information on the extraction of oils from known plants, herbs and spices, the separation of specific chemical compounds from these - as well as concentrating these compounds, and how to reduce the toxicity of these stronger compounds - So that they may do much more harm than good.

The Late Joshua Jameson, The Doctor (Skatnick123)

Joshua’s Credits: Higg was able to pitch the idea to Joshua to use Mancy to extract the weakened and / or dead infection (In this case Smallpox) from a Host Animal’s saliva, to then transplant into a healthy Orcish host to then fight off the infection. Despite the immense degree of failure that could have happened, or the innate risk of sickness, They were willing to take the plunge - and they were able to successfully transplant the weakened infection into a new host - Where the new host then promptly fought off the infection, with milder symptoms.

Anna, The Assistant (nardao06)

Anna’s Credits: Higg would have never pursued the compilation of this Journal, nor’ of the known scientific knowledge in Northern Ludwag if She hadn’t pushed him continuously to do so - She also proved to be a valuable asset when transcribing hard-to-read handwriting into legible writing, as tends to be the case with those who are bright-minded, but barely literate.

The Late Lord Adaster Nautilus, Lord-Commissar of Latteras (camdo8744)

Lord Nautilus’s Credits: Higg would never have been where He is now if it wasn’t for Lord Nautilus having hand-selected Him out of the nearly hundred other participants, who seeked to make their name in fame and glory of curing Eastern Latteras. The simple fact that He gave Higg Sigmund the Go-ahead not only with His research, but also granting Him the opportunity to represent the entire Plague Guild as second-in-command was a true honor that shouldn’t be understated.

The Lattish Plague Guild, and All of their members

The Plague Guild’s Credits: Some of the member’s names were said here specifically - But the compilation of the research that is laid out here is due to a team effort from every single one of us. There are some of us who were not so fortunate - falling prey to The Reaper, So please, Let us remember them here:

The Late Avallac Va'teer, The Big-Brain Theorist (Bofa99)

The Late Nutoc, The Big-Brain Scientist (T0XICBLAST)

The Late Court Physician. (6nfy)

Personal friends who have helped keep the legacy of this Research alive:

Many of the people who will be listed here are no longer with us.. Having been lost to The Reaper, cruelly. Every one of them has sought to better Higg Sigmund through inspiration, through healing, and through friendship - They are just as important to the survival of this document as any other name listed here - For if Sigmund had died, The research would’ve gone with Him to the grave.

The Late Pyromancer, Tyran Anchorton (endersbattle360)

It was by happenstance that I had met them - having been almost fatally gored by a boar outside of town, This stranger spent the time, money, and energy to patch up my bleeding corpse, and haul me all the way to the Common’s Home. I do not know what fate has befallen them - but I beg to Selvas that their Soul rest peacefully, for all of time.

The Late Norris Gowler (endersbattle360)

The first face that I had met after stepping off the ship from Eastern Nerius, onto the promising lands of Northern Ludwag. They had greeted me with a large grin, a firm handshake, and a frothy pint of the best damn ale I’d ever tasted. Their death remains a mystery to me, but I will forever cherish the times I’ve had laughing and drinking with this long-forgotten Naut. Gods bless their soul.

“Horserider” (giantsashavor)

If anything, Horserider could encapsulate the term ‘Interesting’ in Its fullest extent. I’ve never met a man who has had so many stories to tell, and yet never reveal exactly who they were. Despite this, They’ve always been there when I absolutely needed them the most - always having my back, and never once turning down a chance for a good scuffle. I haven’t seen them in a month, and I could only assume that their enemies would be numerous - But god's-speed, wherever you are.

The Late Professor Vazdyn Abbeth (FlaviusVespasian)

In my darkest moment, they took time out of their day to sit down, and have a genuine talk with me. Through their expertly picked words, and their numerous tricks involving psychomancy, They gave me the strength to continue on with my research when I had enough - Moments before I had simply thrown away all the progress I and all of Northern Ludwag had made in months, in a selfish tantrum. If not for them, these papers would have been ash a long, long time ago.

Magis Jacob Arux (Senfinite)

From what I have met of them, they were rightfully the Magis - Having a calm air of authority, without being overbearing - taking the questions of those in that room, and organizing them in a way that could only be called ‘Scholarly’ - As well, they gave The Lattish Plague Guild access to- -the entire Latteras Academy of Magic’s records, books, notes and scrolls. Perhaps I am just easy to impress, but in the brief exchanges we’ve had, I’d consider them a fair friend, and an even fairer collegue.

Lianna Gowler (NicoleCrowther)

She’s likely a familiar name to those who reside in Latteras - She has had her fair share of troubles.. But despite these, She has always been an excellent friend. I wish I could’ve been half to her what She was to me. Selvas bless thee, Lianna.

To the spice merchants who sold fresh herbs that worked when they needed to, The doctors who reside in the halls of The Academy who helped keep our many members alive and well.. Though we may have not exchanged names, May you be blessed for your works. This is credit to everyone - a collective victory for us all:

The Citizens of Northern Ludwag, Who filled their duty in combating The Plague.

The Lattish Military, for their valiant efforts in combating The Plague.

The Disbanded Reinfell Military, for their valiant efforts in combating The Plague.

The Plague Division, for their valiant efforts in combating The Plague.

The Foundation, for their valiant efforts in combating The Plague.

The Disbanded House of Nautilus, for their patronage.