Post by Teragaia on Aug 15, 2018 6:08:26 GMT
Recap: A wildfire has broken out in the jungle around the Grathkin's relatively-new home, putting them in danger of destruction. Anyone who feels they can help has been called in to do so. The Queen's Wing among others have been called in to help battle the blaze and to convey the wounded. Larandaithiel has set up an infirmary tent to tend to the wounded, but those who have been burned are showing signs of a green-streamer infection or toxic reaction; the exact nature is unknown.
Things that have been uncovered about this odd 'fire' will be recapped below the update.
Retsom
Obsinith's sudden change of form would, as the method of transformation was designed to do, negate the attack from the 'smoke,' or rather the little things in the smoke, and allow an escape! The things would be utterly unable to harm the Mistwatcher in her sand form, and after only a few minutes they would utterly dissolve into ashes and fall to the forest floor, so much powder and utterly harmless.
Regretfully for Retsom his acidic breath would be only half effectual against the clouds that were now so close to him that he would be able to see what they appeared to be: tiny insect-like creatures the color of ashes with even tinier fire-red eyes. These things would shed bits of black as they flew, almost seeming to diminish in size even as they chased after him only to utterly disintegrate a few minutes in the open air, and those that actually touched him would perish instantly even as they stung and burned. Probably a fortunate thing as Tanzanth and the others returned, popping in at differing points to release more water down upon the fires.
Ixeh
Gloves donned and vials of anti-toxin and anti-poison at hand, Ixeh would find her calming ministrations having swift effect to the point that her pair dozed, lightly, but dozed nevertheless. The medicines would be the topical sort, and from around her those who were applying them would be calling back that it was making the wounds ooze.
"Good!" Weyrhealer Larandaithiel called back. "Wipe it away and keep at it!" Through all of this his hands never stopped moving over his self-assigned patient, fighting with everything he had to save a life.
Things that have been uncovered about this odd 'fire' will be recapped below the update.
Retsom
Obsinith's sudden change of form would, as the method of transformation was designed to do, negate the attack from the 'smoke,' or rather the little things in the smoke, and allow an escape! The things would be utterly unable to harm the Mistwatcher in her sand form, and after only a few minutes they would utterly dissolve into ashes and fall to the forest floor, so much powder and utterly harmless.
Regretfully for Retsom his acidic breath would be only half effectual against the clouds that were now so close to him that he would be able to see what they appeared to be: tiny insect-like creatures the color of ashes with even tinier fire-red eyes. These things would shed bits of black as they flew, almost seeming to diminish in size even as they chased after him only to utterly disintegrate a few minutes in the open air, and those that actually touched him would perish instantly even as they stung and burned. Probably a fortunate thing as Tanzanth and the others returned, popping in at differing points to release more water down upon the fires.
Ixeh
Gloves donned and vials of anti-toxin and anti-poison at hand, Ixeh would find her calming ministrations having swift effect to the point that her pair dozed, lightly, but dozed nevertheless. The medicines would be the topical sort, and from around her those who were applying them would be calling back that it was making the wounds ooze.
"Good!" Weyrhealer Larandaithiel called back. "Wipe it away and keep at it!" Through all of this his hands never stopped moving over his self-assigned patient, fighting with everything he had to save a life.
Khareesh
Entering into the firefight – literally! - was entering into pure chaos. Dragons and Riders everywhere, trying to fight the flames and now apparently the smoke itself, cries from below and in the air, and under it all the crackling of the remaining flames. With the Smoke Creatures focusing on the dragons rather than spreading more destruction, any efforts to douse the flames would be considerably more effective, and the fire was at least being contained.
Over this, the genasi's ears would pick up the sounds they'd been listening for: cries for help! Winging around to get closer and peering down, the pair would see in a clearing, surrounding on all sides by flames and fallen trees, two Noble Dalga Grathkin protectively flanking a Noble female Grathkin, one of white fur and no wings, graceful of build and almost, when views closely, like a hybrid of human and simian: Matriarch Lakada of the Stoneheart Legion herself!
They would be moving slowly, one of the wings of her guards hanging awkwardly, not broken but definitely injured, and the other would be limping. Of the Matriarch herself, she would have her head bowed and be leaning heavily on one. Perhaps it was smoke, perhaps heat, or maybe even a thus-far unseen wound that caused her to slow.
But the one she wasn't leaning on had spotted the blue dragon in the sky and was flaring his remaining good wing up and down for attention, calling out with all the oomph his smoke-choked and heat-scorched lungs could muster.
Here! Down here, Dragonrider!
Shrayla
When Shrayla and Sehanine entered the frantic and now fire-causing Smoke Creature-threatened infirmary, they encountered a storm of both activity and chaos.
And Weyrhealer Larandaithiel was the eye in the center of the hurricane.
The moment they entered and made their offers, the elf glanced their way, then quickly turned back to his own patient.
"Whichever of you is stronger in your magic, get over here and help me. This infection is spreading faster than I can counter it – we need magic! The other..." Another quick glance around, hands never ceasing their movement, and he growled out a sound of frustration; far too many wounded, far too few healers! " - start with R'ege; he got a faceful of smoke and some of those blasted things out there got under his flight jacket before Rununth could get Between." The bluerider was laid out on a cot actually near the edge of the tent, moaning as he struggled to breathe and an assistant healer was bathing his chest burns in wet cloth, but the streamers that were present in all the cases was clearly a cause for concern. Just on the other side of the thin fabric a dragon's worried croon could be heard.
Linah
Vos' warning came just in time the first time, though not so fortunate the second. Linah would have just a breath to register the things wrapping her arm, fire-red eyes, insect-like bodies destroying the sleeve of her jacket and the shirt beneath, starting to redden and blister her arm that fast -
Then the black nothingness of Between, the bone-shattering cold and loss of all sensation -
Then back out again!
The chaos would still rage, the fire still burn... but Linah would have some interesting passengers clinging to her arm: the insects would be frozen, utterly frozen in ashen-colored miniature ice sculptures. She'd have a mere few moments to see they looked almost wasp-like in shape, aside from an extra pair of wings and their coloration of course, before they melted into so much dirty water droplets she could shake away from her easily. And though her arm would sting like from any mundane burn, it would have stopped their attack – pun intended, cold.
And there would be no streamers trying to race through her skin. Between's nothingness put a halt to that too.
And finally, behind them, the remainder of that 'swarm' that those had been a part of would suddenly go still and in a ripple freeze over as well, as if they had made the trip Between. Unable to fly they'd fall until melted completely away, and the water would rain down onto the fire below, extinguishing a portion.
Tidesweep's
Oh, fly Lenaarth fly!
Driving higher and higher under Tidesweep's command, the injured Grathkin holding tight as wisely requested, the mighty dragon engaged in a desperate race with the trailing 'smoke' of fire-bugs. Bob's impulsive snap had minor effect, as he'd managed to catch a couple of them with only a little scorching to his undead hide, but the bulk had escaped the t-rex maw and sought out their intended, living targets.
The air started to get thin, though both due to the brilliant sun otherwise in the sky and the rising heat from the wildfire below it remained rather warm. So cold wouldn't quite be their ally at least for the moment. But something else proved to be for even as some of Tide's rescued victims started to struggle she might become aware that even as they were, even more so was the cloud.
With every yard that the dragon claimed, more and more of the cloud was dissolving, turning into ashes and falling away. Just as the flames that Tide feared needed oxygen, so too did these things, and were far more vulnerable to its lack than larger beings such as sirens, dragons, and winged monkeys.
And the altitude was denying them that vital component of their existence.
Even as Tide was started to feel a bit lightheaded as were some of her passengers the last of the things stopped following and turned to ashes, fading into the breeze churned up by the fire.
They were safe! Now to get the injured to healers!
Infirmary
Meanwhile, back at the Infirmary, the situation was growing more dire by the second. The clouds of fire insects were swarming en masse on the location, putting both defenders and those inside at risk. Larandailthiel's eyes would keep darting between the patient under his hands and the entrance, maintaining awareness of everything that was going on as best he could. Finally he realized he had to make the call.
"Prepare all able patients for Evacuation to the Weyr! We need to get them out of here before those things get through!" He didn't stop his efforts of sewing, bandaging, and applying medicine and poultices for a second, though.
"Weyrhealer?" one concerned assistant dared ask, receiving a growl in reply:
"Not everyone can be moved. I'm staying until they can be! Now go!!"
With grim determination those who could be moved were being bundled up and dragon conveyance (and any other readily available and steadily-moving conveyance) were being utilized to get them far, far away.
While, naturally, the Weyrhealer himself was remaining where he was to work on the Nagakt victim under his knife currently. By how he'd removed the embedded wood and was working on the burns, far more painful but by comparison far less seriously deadly, in and of themselves. Aside from the infection streamers that he was lathering with every medicine and using every trick he knew to help.
Jason
The female Sh'na'ka that Jason was working with would seem alright, and after one of the assistant healers looked her over pronounced her fit to be evacuated. Thus he would be free to assist others... Though one thing would catch his eyes: a thin tendril of 'smoke' would have inched its way to the tent, lost in the chaos, and just barely grazed one corner of the entrance which would now be smoldering.....
Jeremi
Jeremi's words would have others making attempts, those without healing magic plying cold compresses and ice to the places the streamers seemed to be spreading and those few with such magic at their disposal calling upon their powers. And it would definitely seem to slow the streamer's spread, easing red, hot flesh and the patient's pain at the same time. But it wouldn't directly stop it by itself...
Gertude
Until Gertude, having found a container of medicine brought mostly for the purposes of just being a case of 'grab everything so we have things if we need them' rather than actual forethought and tried it.
When the streamers under the skin came into contact with the area she'd applied the ointment to they just – stopped – dead!
The strong scent of mint would waft up from her lathered hands (said lathering probably the only reason her ungloved hands would be safe), along with a faint numbing cool tingle, but not the utter nothing of numbweed (that would be a scent that no one could mistake after one encounter!).
The medicine? A menthol-based muscle rub.
Then, right before her eyes, the streamers would start to retreat, fading back towards the infection origin bit by bit as the cream's effects soaked in.
Whatever these things were, whatever they did to people, simple mint was their bane!
Finally, the healers would have a weapon!
Things known:
The 'Smoke' that has been seen seems to be swarms of tiny insect-like creatures the color of ashes with even tinier fire-red eyes that upon touch ignite flammable surfaces like plants and fur, scorch non-flammable surfaces like metal and flesh, and cause black-green streamers of infection. These can be stalled by cooling magic, drawn out somewhat by certain anti-toxins though this falls to get it all, and is utterly defeated by menthol cream.
Also, if even a segment of the cloud-swarms of these things go Between, the ones that make the trip and even those that do not are instantly frozen and slain. Driving or luring them to high altitudes also destroys them.
General Short-Notes:
Okay, I think that's everything! Link at the top will take you (hopefully, I have so little trust for Tapatalk now) to the original thread for any more in-depth recap you may need. If I missed anything or something's unclear, please let me know, and anyone can still enter this – the chaos is far from abated!
Until Gertude, having found a container of medicine brought mostly for the purposes of just being a case of 'grab everything so we have things if we need them' rather than actual forethought and tried it.
When the streamers under the skin came into contact with the area she'd applied the ointment to they just – stopped – dead!
The strong scent of mint would waft up from her lathered hands (said lathering probably the only reason her ungloved hands would be safe), along with a faint numbing cool tingle, but not the utter nothing of numbweed (that would be a scent that no one could mistake after one encounter!).
The medicine? A menthol-based muscle rub.
Then, right before her eyes, the streamers would start to retreat, fading back towards the infection origin bit by bit as the cream's effects soaked in.
Whatever these things were, whatever they did to people, simple mint was their bane!
Finally, the healers would have a weapon!
Things known:
The 'Smoke' that has been seen seems to be swarms of tiny insect-like creatures the color of ashes with even tinier fire-red eyes that upon touch ignite flammable surfaces like plants and fur, scorch non-flammable surfaces like metal and flesh, and cause black-green streamers of infection. These can be stalled by cooling magic, drawn out somewhat by certain anti-toxins though this falls to get it all, and is utterly defeated by menthol cream.
Also, if even a segment of the cloud-swarms of these things go Between, the ones that make the trip and even those that do not are instantly frozen and slain. Driving or luring them to high altitudes also destroys them.
General Short-Notes:
- Khareesh can see in a clearing, surrounding on all sides by flames and fallen trees, two injured Noble Dalga Grathkin protectively flanking a Noble female Grathkin, - Matriarch Lakada of the Stoneheart Legion herself! They desperately need a rescue.
- Shrayla has been put to work healing by the Weyrhealer – new information discovered about the injuries may assist her efforts.
- Retsom and Linah (along with their respective Bondeds and the Queen's Wing) are successfully extinguishing some of the flames, but more are catching and starting to surround the Grathkin Community.
- Tidesweep has found some survivors - Three Lagra, five Cygru, and a Tansin with a broken wing – and has uncovered more information about the swarms in her escape.
- Jason was assigned a Sh'na'ka Grathkin to heal; she is burned and missing patches of fur.
- Jeremi also has a male Sh'na'ka to tend; he is badly cut with some burns like perhaps a tree branch fell on him.
- Ixeh has been 'requested' to try and calm down a pair of female Tansin who are panicking in addition to minor wounds.
- Gertude was pointed to a female Lagra, badly burned, and her offspring whom is suffering from smoke inhalation and struggling to breathe
Okay, I think that's everything! Link at the top will take you (hopefully, I have so little trust for Tapatalk now) to the original thread for any more in-depth recap you may need. If I missed anything or something's unclear, please let me know, and anyone can still enter this – the chaos is far from abated!
