The Healer's Compendium

[Toffee 1133]

Penned by Illynora Sylvaeri on behalf of Serinwë’s Hand in the 143rd Year of the Second Age.

 

The healing methods described in this compendium adhere to traditional Wood Elven practices, including the intonation of prayers to the Aspects. As such, it does not include more modern surgical practices seen in the lands of Man and Dwarf.

 

This compendium is a companion piece to A Herbalist's Guide to Aevos. Where the reader is instructed to apply a particular poultice or medicine, they should direct themselves to the Herbalist’s Guide.

 

Healing Prayer

After imbibing Cerridwen’s essence, sacred attunement springwater, speak these words:

 

“O’ Haelun’Taynan, orlle ay’adiln divcerun’ehya,

lae heya elillern’tayna lentera hiyluan’ehya y’ameantaynei.

nae heya kae’leh taynan illerale, kae’leh wynan’anuh il’sulwaleh, nae’leh ehya orahernan illera.

O’ Haelun’lle, y’kae anoh’suliera, kae ay’nae’leh tilrunhaleral mediera adontere,

iyul kae orern nae tilruereh, nae’leh ehya lle’saere karin’ento.”

 

“O’ earth Mother, benevolent to the weak and weary,

Who spreads the gifts of life and good health over the emerald wilds.

You who gifted me my own life, and their life,

Pray for my soul and bless my hands with your healing light.

O' compassionate Mother, look down upon me,

I ask that you help your dutiful servant,

so they may continue to serve you and spread your goodness across the land.”

 

Last Rites

If a patient follows the teachings of the Aspects and is about to pass on, or has just recently passed on, speak these words:

 

“O' Haelun, y'kae oerneh suliera.

ito suliera, iyul nae'leh illern'taynan ethere,

Iyul divhiuw ito lae'leh/hae'leh taliiynan, divcerun'ehya ito hae'leh/lae'leh hiylun.

Oerneh nae ito hileia lae/hae myumiera, ciwn'ehya uell.     

O' Maln, y'kae oerneh suliera.

ito suliera iyul nae'leh illern'orran ethere,

Iyul leyun ito lae'leh/hae'leh iheiuhii, lae'leh/hae'leh ehya taliiynan feta lentera.

Oerneh nae ito Sirame lae/hae myumiera, cerun'ehya uell.    

nae iyl'hiylun, tenna eth, myumierala karinte,

lae'ehya/hae'ehya Meracahe narna.

taliyna ito nor, taliiyna ito vallei, tur ito malomii.

Ahernal ito.”

 

“O' Mother, look upon me now.

See here that your gift of life has ended,

That his/her heart is still and his/her Spirit weary.

May you bring him/her to peace and slumber eternal.

O' Father, look upon me now.

See here that your gift of the hunt has ended,

That his/her voice is silent and his/her blood grows cold.

May you bring him/her to honour and strength undying.

You have held this Spirit until the end,

And he/she now passes into the Balance.

Flesh to soil, blood to water, bone to dust.

Blessed be.”

 

 

Flesh Wounds

The healer should wear tight sleeves rolled to the elbow. Wash hands in warm water and boil the necessary tools for half an hour prior to the procedure.

 

Embedded Objects

Where an object such as a weapon has been embedded in the flesh, this must be removed before the wound is able to heal. Numb the area with blissfoil poultice, being careful to apply this with a cloth or wooden spatula. If the object is beneath the skin, make an incision with a small knife and remove the object. 

 

In the case of embedded swords or arrows, soak a cloth with draugr tongue tonic and apply it to the wound. This will soften the skin. Carefully widen the incision around the sword or arrowhead. Remove the object and treat the wound as usual.

 

Diseased Flesh

When a wound has become infected, the skin will be red and shiny and the wound is likely to excrete creamy yellow pus. In advanced cases, the flesh may have mummified and become black, grey, red, and leathery. Numb the area with blissfoil poultice. Cut and scrape away the diseased flesh. In the case of infected wounds, make a small incision and drain the wound of pus. Treat the wound as usual.

 

Treating Wounds

Apply pressure to the wound with a cloth until it has stopped bleeding. If the cloth becomes soaked through, do not remove; apply more cloth on top. Where the wound is on a limb, elevate the limb to help slow blood flow. Once the wound has stopped bleeding heavily, clean gently with tepid water and gislocinovi tonic.

 

For deep wounds, use hiding moss to pack the wound before stitching. For shallow wounds, apply tippen’s root salve to stem the last of the bleeding. It is recommended to hold a cloth soaked in peppermint oil over one’s nose and mouth to counteract the smell of the tippen's root. For shallow wounds that do not require stitching, mandragora poultice may be applied to assist with healing.

 

Amberiddle sap can be used to seal shallow wounds. Deeper wounds will require stitching with a bone needle and silk thread. For medium to shallow wounds, use a continuous stitch, which refers to using the same piece of thread along the wound and tying it off at the end. For medium to deep wounds, use an interrupted stitch, which refers to cutting and tying each stitch; these stitches are not connected to one another. Continuous stitches are appropriate for long gashes, while interrupted stitches should be used for deep wounds so that the thread does not break.

 

Apply frost vine salve to the wound for topical pain relief. Bind the wound with bandages, changing the bandages regularly.  If there are any signs of infection, administer a dose of grobsnopper syrup (taken orally). Serpent’s stalk tonic can be used to reduce fever caused by infection. The patient may also be given mandragora tea to assist with healing and blood lotus stew to regain strength after heavy blood loss.

 

Once the wound has healed, remove the stitches and apply aqua nymph oil to reduce scarring. 

 

 

Broken Bones

There are three broad types of bone injuries. Closed fractures, where the bone is broken but has not pierced the skin; open fractures, where the shards of broken bone have pierced through the skin and are exposed; and dislocation, which is not precisely a broken bone but rather where the bone has been knocked from its usual position.

 

Closed Fractures

Apply frost vine poultice to the affected area. The patient can also drink atheros tea for pain relief. 

 

For clean breaks, manipulate the ends of the fracture to align them to their original position before splinting or binding. Splinting refers to placing a stick along the limb and securing it in place with wrappings. Binding refers to securely wrapping the limb or digit with bandages.

 

Facial injuries — These fractures cannot be set and must be allowed to heal on their own.

 

Shoulder and collarbone — Create a sling with a triangular cloth close to the body.

 

Ribs — These fractures cannot be set and must be allowed to heal on their own. Do not bind the ribs, as this could lead to the bones healing in a malformed position.

 

Arm — Splint.

 

Fingers and toes — Bind to the neighbouring digit.

 

Hip — Splint extending from the lower back to the knee.

 

Knee — Splint from the hip to the ankle.

 

Ankle — Bind securely, using small splints where necessary. 

 

Open Fractures

Induce unconsciousness with two doses of nightsap syrup. Rinse the wound with tepid water and gislocinovi tonic. Set the bone by manipulating it into its original position. Treat the area as a wound (see above instructions).

 

Dislocations

Pulls should always be slow and steady, never abrupt. One will feel the joint slip back into place with a heavy clunk. The patient may be given atheros tea to reduce pain.

 

Shoulder — Lay the patient on their back with the affected arm away from the body. Hold the hand or wrist and slowly, but firmly, pull the arm until the joint falls back into place. Wrap the arm in a sling.

 

Knee — Stand on the patient’s affected side. Lift the leg slightly up and begin to extend it while pushing the kneecap back into place. This movement may need to be repeated several times. Tightly bind the knee for support.

 

Fingers — Remove any rings to prevent injury due to swelling. Extend the finger and push the joints back into place. Splint to the adjacent digit to reduce movement.

 

 

Burns

Burns can range from minor sunburn on the top layer of skin to serious burns which afflict all layers of the skin. In all cases, carefully remove clothing and jewellery from the affected area. Rinse gently with tepid water, careful not to slough off too much of the burnt skin.  

 

Minor Burns

Minor burns are characterised by red, inflamed skin. Apply aqua nymph & frost vine salve to the area for pain relief and to heal the burn. Apply aquate root & faerie truffle salve for relief from dry, chapped skin as a result of sunburn or other minor burns.

 

Moderate Burns

Moderate burns are characterised by redness, inflammation, and blisters. Boil gislocinovi leaves with shredded atheros root. Stitch the leaves together to form bandages. Apply aqua nymph poultice to the burn and bind with the gislocinovi bandages. Replace bandages as necessary.

 

Serious Burns

Serious burns are characterised by white, leathery skin. Numb the area with a blissfoil poultice. Cut away the burnt flesh.

 

From the thigh or back, take a skin graft of the required size. This is achieved by using a small knife to cut a square of skin and lifting it carefully from the donor site. Apply the skin graft to the burn site, treating it as a wound. Clean the donor site with gislocinovi tonic and apply tippen’s root to stem bleeding. Treat it as a wound. 

 

 

Intense Cold

Wandering in extremely cold areas without the proper clothing or equipment can lead to injuries and maladies. The first is exposure, where one has grown so cold their body ceases to function. The second is frostbite, where intense cold has restricted blood flow to areas of the body, leading the flesh to blacken and die. 

 

Exposure should always be treated before frostbite, as heating the limbs can cause cold blood to flow back to the heart, lowering the body temperature and causing death. The same impacts of exposure can also be induced from drinking too much serpent’s stalk tonic.

 

Exposure

Move the patient to a warm, dry location. Do not chafe or massage heat into the limbs. Remove any wet clothing and cover in dry blankets, leaving only the face exposed. Place warm, dry towels on the neck and chest.

 

Brew shade leaf tea and assist the patient in drinking in small sips. This will help to calm the stress of their experience and warm them from the inside. The patient can also inhale steam from a bowl of boiling water to heat the airways. 

 

Frostbite

Warm the skin in tepid water for half an hour. The skin should turn red or purple during this process. The patient can drink atheros tea to help with the pain from the feeling returning to their limbs. Carefully separate fingers and toes once they have thawed. Elevate limbs to prevent swelling.

 

Where the skin has blackened and died, cut away using the instructions for Diseased Flesh in the Flesh Wounds section. If a digit or limb requires amputation, see the Amputations section.

 

 

Amputations

Amputation of a limb should only be used as a last resort where no other healing methods are appropriate.

 

Administer two doses of nightsap syrup to induce unconsciousness. Clean the amputation site with gislocinovi tonic. Cut through the skin with a small knife then, using a larger knife, cut through the muscle. Sever the bone with a bone saw. Seal the wound by stitching the skin closed to form a stump. This should then be treated as one would a wound.

 

Illness

Most illnesses require rest above all else, though there are some medicines which can be administered to speed recovery and alleviate symptoms. Blood lotus stew also assists in recovering strength following an illness.

 

Blocked nose — Bitter reed & coltsfoot tea.

 

Sore throat — Flash fruit syrup.

 

Fever — Coltsfoot tea. Serpent’s stalk tonic.

 

Nausea — Bitter reed tea.

 

Headache — Atheros tea.

 

Muscle aches — Massage with diluted frost vine salve.

 

Fatigue — King’s ivy tonic.

 

Cough — Coltsfoot tea.

 

Sleeplessness — Javens tea.

 

Shortness of breath —  Coltsfoot syrup.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[TeawithFrisket 2637]

Ember Munnel sucked up more wood elven medical knowledge that was either known or unknown to her. Knowledge never ends, many different ways to do something.