Scene 2 - The Averndale Adventurers' Guild

After checking the area to remove the lost miner and down the ladder, returning to the shaft. He remains deadweight yet easy enough to move, since he does not have anything broken or bleeding. Returning to the surface the guards scurry to action getting the path out of the mine cleared and a stretcher called from a nearby office.

As the workmen take the miner, the nighttime Watch Captain step forward to speak with you, smiling and gesturing with awe. "You have done well! We were certain he was buried or fallen down a crevasse further in. The Mayor will be pleased, he is eager to get the shaft back open… isn’t that right Foreman?"

The Foreman nods exhaustedly. "Yes but the Commander has set his foot down… Adventurers, what happened, is the mine save fore workers?"

The Foreman is focused upon his man, "I am not sure off hand, we have some nasty native beasties, but I know someone who might be able to identify it. We will take him to the Temple, it is close and the Priestess can assist but we’ll need to call the Doctor... maybe someone can find Doctor Leam?" They start to move, taking Darol with them on the stretcher.

Your answers seem to displease the Watch-Captian, stating coldly, "If you are unsure the mine is safe, then the job is not completed."

Jasper, Sadur, and Xarakas take the next hour slowly walking the mine, searching for more holes or other possible signs of more insects. This mine is relatively simple, and by the time you reach the end of the last branch, you can be reasonably sure that you have not seen other disturbances in this area. Your knowledge regarding the creature or its burrowing abilities is limited, but you see no other bugs or holes and are unaware of any other missing miners. As you return to the number seven entrance, you'll note the Watch-Captain has left a guard in his place.


::Meanwhile::

Leon explains,
This man was attacked by some sort of an insect that is using him as a host for its maggot or maggots. If we can purge the maggot, I would expect a full recovery. However, if we cannot his death will be agonizing being consumed from the inside out.

Since we don’t have any idea on the gestation period, I can’t say for sure how much time he has. What I do know it that he has been gone for 2 days and already you can feel the things inside him. At this rate I would give him another 2 days at most, but in all honesty, it could be at any time. There is just so much we do not know.

There are a couple ways we can handle this. With the right antiparasitic herbs I may be able to make something that when combined with a simple laxative will purge the maggot. The key word here is the RIGHT herbs. I don’t know what we are dealing with and would have to make an educated guess.

The second option would be surgery. Given his already weakened state though, that just might kill him, but I still think that is his best chance.

Do you have an herbalist? We would first need to prepare a strong sedative. Like a calming tea but much more potent. The preparation will have to be just right, based on his weight and constitution. If it is not strong enough Davon will suffer needlessly and make the surgery even more difficult, too strong and it could stop his heart or breathing. With any luck the tea will also sedate the maggot inside. For this type of surgery, we would recommend you use a concentrated tincture of XYZ, that usually does the trick. If you have the herbs, I can help you with the preparation.

Once Davon is sedated, I will begin the operation. I will need your assistance to repair any damage that we come across. Bleeding is my biggest concern. With deep surgery there is an increased risk of nicking a vital vessel or organ. Normally we keep a strong healing draught at hand along with swabs. If there is an errant nick a quick dip and swab is all that is needed to affect a repair We call that a "DS". If I call for a DS you will know what I mean. For much more serious trauma, we prefer to have cleric on standby as well.

Once we are inside, I will need extra hands to hold open the wound so that I can determine exactly where the maggot gestates. I will remove it as quickly as possible, then begin closing up Davon. I will need your help there as well. As weak as he is, the less trauma he is left with the better. Use your blessing to knit the major wounds and I will stitch the rest. We will have to wary of infection. That kills more men than arrows. We will monitor his progress, watch for fever or any other changes.

Post operative care should be fairly straight forward. I recommend rest and clear broth for the next few days along with a strong parasitic purgative such as wyrmwood.

One other thing, I am without my full medical kit, unfortunately it was lost on my journey here. If you are able to procure XYZ, along with the sharpest knife or razor you can find I should be able to perform.