The Dispensary-Joyau Takes Inventory

[Joyau delaLune]

5th brightening of the first cycle of Craxatum

Joyau had just taken her job at the infirmary at the Temple of the Blessed Hands. She could tell that it had been a while since someone had taken inventory and made sure the potions and herbs were up to date.

As she went through the bottles and jars, she wrote in her book a list of herbs she would need to replace, and the cost. She referred to her herbology scrolls to find the most economical and effective cures and treatments for expected illnesses and wounds. Finally she wrote up a list of herbs and potions she needed to update the dispensary. Her allowance for updating the dispensary and remodeling the infirmary was 5,000 crowns. In a letter from the thane she extracted this quote

From that is where you will get your salary and your budget from which to work on your further development of medicines and such. I will start you at 75 crowns a cycle and once you are made a full priestess of the temple, I will increase it to 100 a cycle. You will have a starting operating budget of 5,000 crowns to invest in your medical study with 500 per month added to that.

and entered it into her notebook.

She scoured her texts and finally came up with a list. It was very long, but Joyau would work on it a little at a time over the next few days. First she wanted to separate potions from herbs, or leaves of herbs. The prepared potions would need to be ordered from an alchemist. Next she wanted to write out clear labels for the jar where herbs and leaves would be kept. Teas and infusions she could make up at the time of administering, but first she needed to get organized so she could easily find things when she needed them.

She looked around for water pots, tea pots, and bowls. Then she checked the bandages, splints, and stretchers to see what the infirmary had, and what it didn't have. She had already brought her medical bag in and kept both her medic field kit and medical equipment in the dispensary. She always wore her medic fiield kit because she never knew when it would be needed.

She was extremely tired at the end of the day. Tomorrow she would continue her inventory and list of herbal medications she would need.

[Joyau delaLune]

6th brightening

When Joyau returned to the dispensary the next day, she made sure she had clean jars. Rummaging around she found small scraps of parchment to make labels. As she wrote out the contents and their cures, she tied them around the jar with some string and set the jars on the shelves. They would be filled with the herbs after she received them.

Taking an empty jar, she wrote on it in her neat handwriting
ARNUMINAS
Cost: 170 Crowns
The leaf of this plant should be applied to the site of ligament, cartilage, or muscle damage. If used successfully, it will double the speed of healing of such damage.

The next jar was labeled
ALOE
Cost: 70 Crowns
The leaf of Aloe applied to a wound, will double the natural healing rate of burns and minor cuts.

The next jar she labeled
THORN APPLE
Cost: 30 Crowns
A single seed is very effective as a minor pain reliever. It will ease small pains, such as headaches or minor muscular pains for 3-4 hours. The pain relief is almost instantaneous.


The next jar was labeled
PALLAST (compound)
Preparation: 2 hours
Cost: 60 Crowns
"Pallast" is a compound made of the pale, papery bark from willows and the roots of marshmallows. When ground together and imbibed, pallast cures minor aches and pains, especially headaches and pain from abscessed teeth, sore muscles, and so forth. Pallast itself is a very bitter pale powder, and is usually served in a heavily sweetened tea.

In her ledger she wrote down the prices of the herbs and added them up.

5,000 crowns
less
330 crowns

4,670 crowns

[Joyau delaLune]

8th Brightening

When Joyau finally had enough time to collect herself from her new duties, she continued taking inventory of the herbal remedies she had on hand. After taking out her healing parchments again, she read through them and after checking them against the inventory pulled out her small parchments and begin writing down the herbs she needed. She then tied them on jars so they would be properly labeled.

BORAGE
Cost: 30 Crowns
The dried herb should be boiled in water and the infusion drunk. It is used to cure minor fevers such as those caused by chills, and influenza. It will relieve the fever in 1-3 hours.

CHAMOMILE
Cost: 160 Crowns
The flowers from a single plant must be immersed in boiling water and the resultant drink consumed. This drink is very bitter and is normally mixed with honey. The drink will last for approximately 2 months after manufacture, while the leaves can be dried, and will then keep for up to three years. A successful use of this herb will have a calming effect on the consumer.

DAINABERRY
Cost: 60 Crowns
This is used as a sleeping potion. The sleep caused is quite normal, and a sleeping creature can simply be awakened. Although the berries can simply be eaten to cause the effect, it is also possible to dry them carefully, and grind them into powder. This powder is weaker), but will keep a long time. The powder can be added to any food or drink, but has a very sweet taste.

SARACEN'S CONFOUND
Available: Summer 80%
Climatic Zone: Temperate
Locale: Rural
Preparation:11 weeks
Cost: 80 Crowns
This herb cures fevers within 10-40 minutes.

DITTANY
Available: Summer, Autumn 55%
Cost: 90 Crowns
This herb grows six or eight inches high with square stalks and sort round leaves. The leaves must be dried for two weeks and then be boiled in ale or wine. It is then applied as a lotion. Dittany can be used to draw splinter and bone fragments from a wound. It is also an effective antiseptic for cleaning wounds, and can therefore prevent infections caused by dirty water etc.

Cost: 350 crowns
Total left: 4,320 crowns

[Joyau delaLune]

10th Brightening

Joyau rushed into the dispensary this nice Spring Day determined to get more of her herbal remedies ordered and inventoried. She carefully looked at all her jars, making sure they were in order, then returned to her healing scrolls to find other herbs she needed to order.

With her small neat script she begin writing.

DRAGONWORT
Preparation: 3 days
Cost: 300-3000 Crowns (buy supply-500 gc)
This plant has a gnarled, erect and cylindrical stem. It has wavy leaves, dark green on top, bluish green underneath. It has pink flowers that cluster in a spike at the top of the stem. The root of this herb should be boiled over a low heat for three days, and the infusion drunk by people with smallpox and the plague in order to effect a cure. The value of this herb increases greatly in times of plague.

DWARF MALLOW
Preparation: none
Cost: 60 Crowns
This small plant has a single primary stem from which other, shorter stems ending either with leaves or with small pick flowers. These flowers when crushed and mixed with honey and salt into a poultice will relieve the pain of bee stings on a successful application. In addition the crushed flower may be mixed with oil and smothered onto the body in which case, no bees will approach for 1-4 hours. At the GMs discretion, this effect may extend to other small insects.

EDRAM
Preparation: none
Cost: 190 Crowns
Edram is a moss which when eaten will cause bones to heal at one and a half times their normal rate.

ELDAAS
Preparation: 2 days
Cost: 90 Crowns
This tall, blue-flowered plant with spike-shaped leaves is the base for medicines against nausea, usually taken in the form of a bitter-smelling and -tasting herbal tea. Eldaas is used to counteract the nausea associated with hangovers, motion sickness, morning sickness, and more
common illnesses. At this strength eldaas can cause dry mouth and constipation. Lasts 1-6 hours regardless of potency level.


GOLDEN CROWN
Preparation: 1 hour
Cost: 120 Crowns
The golden flowers of this small yellow-green plant may be made into a poultice that is used to stop bleeding. One successful application will normally stop minor bleeding, or staunch the flow of major bleeding until it only minor (a second application will stop the bleeding altogether). This herb is often used by midwives to staunch the flow of vaginal bleeding after birth.

She noted that she should have a large order of Dragonwort in case of a plague. She knew that it increased in price in times of and epidemic. So she made sure she had enough on hand to heal half the population of Natura, just for safety's sake.

After she fininshed this part of inventory she added up the cost of the herbs.

Cash on hand: 4320 crowns
Cost of herbs: 960 crowns
Cash left: 3360 crowns

[Joyau delaLune]

12th brightening

Joyau was finding time in the midst of her duties to continue working on her herbal inventory. Today she looked through the scrolls to see what she might be missing and then wrote up the list of what she needed to order.

She pulled out some more jars and began to write labels for the next batch of herbs.

GOLDEN LUNGWORT
Preparation: 1 week
Cost: 50 Crowns
Golden lungwort has large oval leaves, covered with small hairs, and small pale blotches. It grows to a height of about 1 foot, and has small bell shaped flowers with five petals which change colour from pink, to mauve to blue. Flowers of different colours are often found on the same plant. This herb heals the ears of all aches and pains.

HARE'S EARS
Preparation: 2 weeks
Cost: 90 Crowns
This herb cures skin diseases.

HOREHOUND
Preparation: 4 weeks
Cost: 130 Crowns
This plant has angular greyish stems and grows to a height of three feet. It has oval shaped tooth edged, ash green leaves. It has small creamy white flowers which group at the base of the leaves. This herb will cause the recipient to vomit up any poison in their system. It is effective only against ingested poisons. The person will be incapacitated by nausea for 1-3 days. In the case of an 'instant death' poison, the person can be saved if the herb is successfully administered within ten minutes, but they will be incapacitated for the full three day period.

Cost of these herbs: 270 g.c.Amount left: 3090 g.c.