Letter to Zenithar Gaius Abael / DM

[NeedForGreed]

To the Esteemed Zenithar Gaius Abael,

I write to you hoping to join the distinguished ranks of the Astronomers of Q'tolip. As I am a priestess of the Dome, I recognize that my request and even my interest is an unconventional one. However, my faith and my connection to the Mercystar are no enemies of science. I aim to support the Tower's research while deepening my understanding of the cosmos. Thank you, I am grateful for your time and consideration.

I will introduce myself: My name is Fiordelise Foscari. I am a medical doctor and healer-priest of Sage Santina, as well as the Palatial Physician, having expressed my desire to address public health to the former Legates. Since my arrival, I have established two medical practices here in Ephia's Well: the House of Healing, which serves the refugee camps, and the Ignis Vitae Medical Center, which serves the public within our walls. Medical research is a secondary goal of my work in both these clinics, a field I wish to advance in my lifetime (particularly on diseases of both mundane and extraordinary origin). My Medical Center is especially secular - it was a crucial goal of mine to ensure that religion played no part in the nurturing of public healthcare. In my practice both in the clinics and on the field I have developed a technique to weave divine healing with more non-magical medicine in my practice. My work and these techniques are prime examples of my philosophy of exploring greater knowledge.

My faith teaches that the stars are more than mere lights: they are the souls of the ascended. I wish to push beyond the limits of this knowledge, to explore the cosmos and its mysteries in greater depth. 

Nadiri Cosmatos' research has been a topic of much discussion and debate between us, as you might imagine. The very nature of the stars, and the Sages! His findings and my own experiences have left me with countless questions and driven my resolve to learn more. At first I had mixed feelings about his work and was apprehensive, but I have come to agree. I am eager to collaborate with him, and with the plague research of Apothar Hui'nalyw to address the potential threat of plague in Ephia's Well. These topics both touch upon that which I hope to study among you, and our collaboration could yield significant results.

While my primary focus has always been medicine, I am equally drawn to astronomy—these studies cannot exist apart from one another, as healing is drawn from the stars. I am eager to explore many questions: What is the nature of the crystal 'star' that deepens my connection to the Mercystar? What similarities might the healing power I draw from Santina share with that of the astrologians, and what distinct mechanisms make it different? How might these be put to use in advancing medicine? Fundamentally, what is the nature of the cosmos?

These questions are difficult ones to ask and answer in my homeland, just as they are difficult here and in Ba'zeel. 

I do not approach these questions with the blind superstition that some ascribe to faith. I was born in Il Modo to a family that knew neither wealth nor poverty. As a sickly child reliant on the healer-priests, I begged my family to let me join the Lamp of Learning. Though fate took me down another path, placing me under the care of the Church of Santina when the Crimson Death claimed my family, my heart has not forgotten that old wish. I cherish it, that it might guide me as true as the northern star.

I humbly request the opportunity to join your esteemed order. I would be honored to work alongside the Astronomers: to deepen my understanding of the cosmos, to challenge what I know, and to to further medical research—including both star-spun healing and the plague. I ask for the opportunity to contribute among you.

Sincerely,

[Halfbrood]

This is handed to Apothar to deal with an consider.

[Random_White_Guy]

The letter is collected by Apothar Hui'nalyw and slowly taken to the Apothars for discussion