1 Saik Guard, Micana, an efficient assistant arrive, following Lucita.

Alberico, the Malespero aide, 1 Malespero Guard, Louis, a Malespero Armsman, Mar, the Magpie, Lucita arrive, following Pasquale.

Winter is always a relatively busy time for hospitals like the Saving Grace, yet today the number of patients flowing into the building has tipped into overwhelming. So many people have flooded the building with fevers that the physicians have asked for help. They can handle the patient care, just about, but with so many patients they have nobody left to work out WHY. Anyone who wanted to help was asked to gather here near the entrance to the private ward where, for the moment, you are more in the way than anything else. Nurses and Physicians hustle around and right now you almost feel forgotten.

Ian isn't here intentionally. That much is easy to guess by his protests as he's all but dragged in by someone overzealously attempting to be helpful, to join the swarm of patients. "... fine, for the gods sake. I'm alright. For fuck's sake, I just slipped."

Lucita frowns lightly as she backs over against the wall, trying to stay out of the way. A shadow of worry darkens her amber gaze as she watches the nurses and doctors rushing around .

Loramus seems to be holding the accoutrements of a juggler, of all things. Small wooden pins, garishly painted, are held in each hand, three of them in each. As the crowd filters in, he sort of...blends into the background. Maybe he was here to entertain patients?


Tesha's been quietly sitting and Cora is fussing over her as she's leaning her head back against a wall, "It's fine. The jeweler hasn't done anything like that before." she mutters to her guard. Her eyepatch is off and there seems to be blood coming from the corner of her left eye that has been gone for many years now. "Just a few stitches and it'll be as good as new...or well...better than when the bugs got us." she muses quietly. Then she hears Ian, "Lord Ian, are you alright?" she asks.


Ian is still in mid-protest when he rounds on Tesha. "Yes! Fuck. Yes. I'm fine. I slipped. On the..." He trails off as he sees Tesha's face. "... The fuck happened to you?"

One of the physicians approaches you all, gives you a brief once-over, and immediately determines that none of you are urgent enough to care about just now. "We are very busy" he says brusquely. "So unless you are here to help - Come back tomorrow."

Lucita gives Ian a 'once over' as if to make sure he really is alright. She replies to the physician. "I came to help if you should need me. I owe Auntie Eirene some tasks."

Loramus idly flips a couple of the pins into the air, doing it absentmindedly and with not a small amount of dexterity. He is blessed with the casual athleticism of the physically gifted, and not really aware of it. From the periphery of the crowd, he calls out, "What are you talking about? I was promised good coin to come perform. Help with what?"


Cora gives a small squint to the Physician, but she doesn't say anything. Tesha reaches out to put her hand on her guards forearm and pats the woman with riotous curls. "We can wait till tomorrow." she tells her. Then there is a look to Ian as she drops her head down and starts to put her eyepatch back on, "You know that saying...measure twice, cut once? I guess that goes in jewelry making as well." she chuckles. "I got knicked by star iron that's being used in a project for my fake eye. Nothing that won't heal." she tells the Kennex lord. "Where can we help?" she asks as well.


The physician gives Loramus the sort of look reserved by the upper class for lowers brats who are not where they should be. "This rash of illness had to come from somewhere." he looks to Lucita. Recognising her. "And we don't have anyone spare to investigate. So either grab a bowl and start soaking cloths, go find out why we are inundated with patients, or.. Something. Just dont linger here!" A nearby nurse calls to him and he makes some shooing motions towards you all before heading over to assist said nurse.

Ian seems a little bit dubious about 'jewelry making' and 'fake eye' being part of the same sentence, but Lucita draws his attention away, and the nurse's words really seem to re-focus his energy on the task at hand. "What do you need me to do?" He doesn't ask this of the nurse, however. He asks Lucita.

Lucita grabs a bowl, soaks some cloths in it and with a bit of wary trepidation starts to look over the patients. She starts asking as she gently places cool damp cloths over fevered brows. "Where have you been lately, what have you been eating or drinking?" She has Micana also assisting though Micana is note taking. "Have you worn any clothes with odd dyes, any new jewelry, something different? Have you all been in the same places at similar times, how long sick? So many questions. "I hope some of those who deal with cures will find a common thread here, maybe something to help.

Lucita checks charm and empathy at normal. Lucita is successful.

Loramus checks intellect and investigation at normal. Loramus is successful.

Tesha checks intellect and investigation at normal. Tesha is successful.


"Oh don't look at me like your brother does, Lord Ian." Tesha gives a chuckle at Ian. Aethan gave her dubious looks at times. Like when she was hitting him with snowballs. She smoothes her hair back and then nods, "Lets ask some questions and then we'll move on." she tells Cora, then she's moving to ask questions and grab a rag and bowl of water as well. May as well soothe while you question.


Loramus eyes the physician, not bothering to disguise the eyeroll. Mostly to himself, he mutters, "Yeah, clearly a building filled with people not from the Lowers is somehow at fault for making a building full off people across Arx sick. Flawless logic." Not bothering to engage in more pointless conversation, he begins simply...observing, then asking questions.

Ian checks perception and streetwise at normal. Ian is successful.

Lucita finishes the row of patients she was asking questions of and one by one puts fresh cool cloths on their brows as she thinks and looks over her notes. "Physician? You-hoo, they all said they felt fine earlier and thought just a winter coal and then all got sick all of a sudden. Really quick!

Loramus seems to close his eyes for several minutes, sort of....thinking. Or maybe he's just hungover and taking a breather / nap. It really could be either. Finally, he murmurs, "All of them were in a crowd. All of them got sick quickly. But they were in different places with a crowd."

"I mean, he is my brother," Ian points out to Tesha, while still saying near Lucita. He's watching the people, rather than talk to anyone in specific; his sharp eyes pick out details of dress and manner, moving fast the way his eyes often does when he's in the middle of (or observing) a fight. To Lucita, he says: "I think all these people are from the same part of the city. Within a couple of neighborhoods of each other, at the most."


Tesha's completely at home helping and wringing clothes out to dab at feverish heads. She's listening to the people and gathering what information she can. There is a common thread though and she goes to report back to others, "So was there a gathering or play or some sort of celebration that might have involved children today? Almost everyone has been around kids and that might be part of it." she states quietly.


Lucita nods to Ian and says. "Hmmm, should we go look around where you think the neighborhoods are near each other? Maybe we can spot something there or find a substance the alchemists can use to figure this out?

Ian pushes a hand through his hair. "I'm going to be pretty useless outside, Baroness. The whole reason I got dragged in here is that I can't stop slipping on the blasted ice. Let me look around here."

Loramus speaks up from about three feet to Ian's right. How he got there is a mystery. "I can check the Lowers and nearby there. Look for odd things, odd people, see what turns up from a through look see, Baroness."

Lucita says, "Alright, Lord Ian. OH, I thought of something.. smoke. Winter and people are burning stuff. Maybe they all got within some smoke of something noxious being burned?""

"Hold up," Ian says to Loramus and TEsha. "Let me see if I can find a map. This will be easier if we know exactly where we're all going." Finding a map isn't hard. Finding enough table space to spread it out and begin marking it is. But Ian will make do, treating this poor map of Arx like he's setting up for a battle or something. "Right. So I saw people from roughly this area..." He looks at Loramus. "And these are the neighborhoods you mentioned. And..." He peers at it. "This street right here makes a line clean between them. One to one to one. Like beads on a chain." It's an oddly shaped chain, but his circles do indeed look like beads strung along it.

Loramus blinks. "Like a cart. Giving out food or drink." He looks to Ian. "A travelling merchant, like."

Loramus shrugs. "Or not."


Tesha does stop when Ian tells her to and she waits for the map to be found. "I think I like that idea." she tells them.


Lucita thinks hard while the others are checking maps. Finally she starts asking people as she changes the cooling cloths again. "Did you smell anything different, see odd smoke, buy firewood or something to burn or start fires? Candles with smoke? Food from a food cart? Did anyone visit you all or come around your close family?

Loramus returns, several hours later. He sort of just watches the ebb and flow of the crowd for a while. Finally, he moves to where Ian is plotting the map. "No bloody dagger, I'm afraid. Early in the day, a trio of street performers -- acrobats, jugglers, and the like. They earned their coin, went on their way. Later in the day, a street play. The normal crowd of foodsellers, trinketsellers, and grifters." He shrugs. "People got sick in both crowds. No new cases since they came here, though. No one seemed to stick out as being in both places."


Tesha sets off to see about finding the end of the string of events and she does! The one eyed woman asks all sorts of questions and might annoy some, but anyone spreading sickness probably needed help. She returns looking very cold with her guard, "So there was a juggling performance today." she states as she gives a look over to Loramus, then back to the group, "People were sick in a wave and that seems to have ended at this time." she states. "But, there is a bit of buzz about a popular singer that's going to be performing later today, so I'm guessing that a huge gathering is going to be the next stop on this spreading spree." she frowns.


Lucita shakes her head as she finishes the questions. "Not sure this will be of any help. They all had some sort of entertainer that had some smoke and some were in an event with food and drink and trinkets on sale. Can't really find a single common thing from the questions I asked.

Lucita sighs and changes the damp cloths again. "Alright, I've exhausted my ideas for the patients here. I think perhaps I'll trek to the archives and see if I can find anything there that might give guidance about this. I know the physicians have their own references, but I was thinking of some folk tales of odd illness and cures that they might not have in their records.

Loramus shrugs. "Nothing here is different than any normal street performance. Though....there is food at every place, and trinkets. Nothing stands out about either of those." Looking frustrated, he smacks the flat of a palm on the table. "Frustrating, when there's no garishly-dressed villain, twirling a poorly-trimmed beard doing evil deeds."

"Shit," Ian sighs. "Alright. Look. The gathering's probably the best place to find answers, but I'm not going to be much use out there. But whatever was happening at all these other places will probably also be happening there."

Lucita checks intellect and investigation at hard. Lucita is successful.

1 Saik Guard, Micana, an efficient assistant leave, following Lucita.


Tesha gives a nod to Ian, "I'll head that way to the performance. It's a sailors tavern in the Lowers. Should be fine." she smiles to that. She should be! She is used to Sailors. So that is where she heads. With not a wit of thinking about herself getting sick.


Ian rubs his forehead. "Fuck. Aethan's going to have my hide for letting her get herself killed, someday." He's not in a position to hastily depart for anywhere, not over the winter streets, but he'll go with Tesha. He actually IS a sailor.

Loramus looks over, frowning at Ian thoughtfully. "I could follow her. If you wanted. The Lowers is Culler territory."

On his way out, Ian motions with his head for Loramus to come too.

You arrive at the Dinky Damsel just in time to witness the scantily clad singer take up her spot on the 'stage'. Whilst it technically classes as a tavern the bar is little more than a hole in a wall with crates surrounding it for chairs. Braziers burn merrily because even people in the lowers get cold. Most importantly, thanks to the somewhat outdoor nature of the tavern, this saucy evening entertainment has gathered several street sellers. Some of them have clearly made deals with the barkeep. Some might not have.

Soon after you arrive you get a messenger from Lucita. She has found several references to a herb called Elffoot that causes similar symtoms when ingested.

Ian checks luck and streetwise at hard. Ian is successful.

Loramus checks luck and streetwise at easy. Loramus is successful.

Tesha checks intellect and streetwise at hard. Tesha marginally fails.

Ian begins working the room, starting with the bartender, and then moving on to someone who seems to be amused by what he's saying. Neither of these two people seem helpful, but in a conversation with a third, he gives the man an exasperated look. "Fuck, I don't care what you call it. Look. It's fucking cold out here. I'd rather not have to get completely shitfaced just to knock some of the winter out of my blood. I can usually get it at events like these."

Loramus heads out for some of his own investigating. He disappears for, well, several hours. When he returns, he is carrying a couple of examples of an herb of some variety. He waits for the others, but probably spots Ian, if for no other reason than Ian can't run away. He holds up the sample. "Elffoot. It's used for water problems. Liver issues. Like that. The old crone I talked to said you gotta be real careful with the dose, or people get sick....."

Loramus adds, "Grows in the cemetery. You can just go pick it. Anyone can."


Tesha looks around and asks some questions about some of the 'vendors' that are present. She gets some really far-fetched tales too. "Magical amulets to ward of sickness." she shakes her head. She finds her way back to observing the gathering inside the tavern and frowns deeply.


Loramus checks perception and investigation at normal. Loramus is successful.

Ian has settled in with his flask by the time Loramus gets back. He's not trusting the drinks here, apparently. "They also put it in drinks to give them a little extra something," he comments to the other man. "Unless the whole city's been struck at the same time with liver issues, I'm guessing that's how people've been ingesting it."

Loramus adds, "Oh! And one other thing! That cemetery had been picked basically close to clean of this stuff. I think we can safely say it came from there."

The owner of the tavern gives Ian a dirty look everytime the Kennex lifts his flask.

Loramus says, "Probably, it's cheaper than ale or spirits, and gets people just as drunk. After al, it's free. They probably water down the ale and such, added this, and then started making coin with sales through volume?"

Loramus checks perception and streetwise at normal. Loramus fails.

Ian checks perception and streetwise at normal. Ian is successful.

Loramus checks perception and investigation at hard. Loramus is successful.

Now that they have pieced together the likely cause of the poisonings, the group start looking around for the potential source of those spiked drinks. Loramus fails to see anything but familiar faces doing familiar things but Ian, helped by the dealer who still cant quite believe Ian asked for Elffoot, sees a slightly shady woman selling mulled cider from a cart. Most of her jugs are empty. Must have been a busy day.

Once they find the woman, Ian says to Loramus and Tesha: "If she runs, I won't be able to chase her. Grab her if she tries." And then he just flat out approaches the cider selling woman, no pretense, no attempts at being clever. "Must have been a busy day," he comments to her. "Selling all that cider."


"I can try to catch her, yes." Tesha states. She nods to that and then moves to see how many exits there are and if she'd be hard to tackle.


Loramus moves around to the far side of the sketchy woman from Ian without actually answering. While he doesn't do anything overtly threatening, he does idly begin flicking a dagger in the air, in a high, slow arc. He catches it. Tosses it. Catches. Tosses.

The lady looks startled to be approached by Ian. Her gaze flicking between him and the taverns bruisers and the local gang toughs before resettling back onto Ian. "Would you like some deary? Mamma Joe's secret recipe will warm your bones."

The woman doesn't look as if she will get very far if she tries to run. She's bundled up in layer upon layer of scarves and shawls and seems elderly and a little frail.

The twitch of Ian's smile isn't friendly, but the silver he pulls out of his pocket might be. "Sure. I'm not really into all this singing stuff, but it is blasted cold. How about you have one, as well. I'm buying."

That silver does indeed melt away most of the woman's suspicion. She pours out a cup for Ian and then considers the remaining dregs of her brew. "Well. It is the end of the day." the silver vanishes somewhere into her robes with the skill of someone used to hiding such things and then she pours herself out a cup as well. "Cheers" gulp. Ahh.

Ian lifts his cup, but doesn't actually drink. "On second thought, I've never really been too fond of elfroot," he says, setting it down. "You must have really cleaned out the cemetery to get this much. Do you know what's been going on at the hospital today?"

Loramus frowns as the woman gulps down her drink, then just shakes his head in disbelief. "Really? You just.....drink random herbs without knowing what it does?" He doesn't really say it to anyone in particular.

"I've been making cider with elffoot for thirty years young man." The drink-seller says to Loramus before looking at Ian with all that suspicion back again. "What does the hospital have to do with me?"


Tesha is waiting to see what is going on with the woman and the cider. She does give a look around to make sure no one is sneaking up on Ian and Loramus. Her and her one eye and all!


Tesha just spots a probable pickpocket who was thinking of trying his luck. He slinks off when she looks at him.

Ian angles his head. "Well. You'll probably need some medical care pretty soon," he comments. "Lots of elfroot overdoses showing up today. Fevers."

Squall leaves, following Tesha.

A look of shock and horror is enough to prove that the woman really didn't know what she had done. "Help me with my cart!" she starts hustling towards the exit.

Alberico, the Malespero aide, 1 Malespero Guard, Louis, a Malespero Armsman, Mar, the Magpie leave, following Pasquale.