Medical Knowledge

A discussion of what medical and healing knowledge exists within Sanctuary must begin with a statement of what is known reality. Medical knowledge addresses physical wounds, diseases, illnesses, and curses.

Known Truths

• A player character by means of bandages might "heal" battle damage, stop profuse bleeding, and cure poisons that are considered to be severe.
• A player character and NPC Healers might return a player character's "spirit" to a new body.
• Player characters, pets, and mobs are known to be able to regenerate damage done by a battle within minutes.
• A high skill in camping is known to increase the regeneration of battle damage.
• Certain martial stances (confidence from precision) is known to increase regeneration.
• Magic is known to "heal" battle damage, stop profuse bleeding, cure poisons, undo curses, and restore a spirit to a new body.
• More not yet programmed ...

Spirit over Flesh

It is universally understood that it is the spirit that drives the health of the flesh, not flesh which drives the spirit. It is understood that some people have stronger spirits than others, and certainly our heroes are some of the strongest. Our spirit, and the spirit of non-heroes, monsters, animals, summons, and pets, are all able to regenerate wounds if given enough time -- most can regenerate fully in less then an hour.

This ability, this universal truth, also allows people to do things to improve their regeneration -- such as lighting a secure/sacred fire, playing music, or using a special martial stance. In the hands of a skilled healer, the very act of binding and bandaging allows the spirit to heal the body in ways unimaginable to our player's modern understanding. The better one is able to apply bandages, using a skill that is no more magical than tactics the more a skilled healer can convince the body that it is healed, and thus because the spirit is strong and the skill is high, the body heals. The very act of binding and tying is so universally understood that most consider it a magical act.

The extrapolation of this is that the spirit wishes a body, to live and to be in this world. So that when a spirit is ripped from its body, it might, if it is strong enough and there is one around who is skilled enough, it might reform a body that the spirit can return to. Curiously, this does not seem to happen with any regularity to normal people or monsters but can be seen in the bonded pets of those with skill in taming. That is not to say that it is never seen outside of these groups, but only that it is rare.

Unfortunately, if the spirit is weak or becomes weary then the body will suffer. This is most often seen in those who are battle weary, as they continue in battle as if they have taken no wound, but then fall dead hours or days afterward. Was the body actually not able to heal in the first place or did the spirit fail to retain the healing? There have been studies, and perhaps the answer rests somewhere between the physician, the philosopher, and the cleric.

What all know, is if the spirit fails, so too does the body and thus all diseases, illnesses, and curses can not be cured by normal means of regeneration or healing but only by the careful and perhaps length application of spiritual care, herbal treatments, and magical remedies.