[Urgent] Letter to Lt. Colmes

[NeedForGreed]

Lieutenant Colmes,

I request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience, though letters will work if this is not feasible. The Pyramid and Apothar Zol Nur have asked me to look into the "Scald Madness", which I am told affects some of your men as well.

I hope to develop a treatment, or some way of minimizing the effects while the root cause is being solved. It would be most helpful to have access to victims of the madness, for the purposes of helping with their care, interviewing them, and trialing potential treatments.

I understand there are at least these known symptoms: Itching in the head or palms, or tingling, a feeling of pressure and coldness on the chest, difficulty breathing, fits of madness, unease, and potentially dreams.

I understand that there is some evidence this may be related to 'pillars' or a ritual conducted at a prison.

Please inform me if there is anything I can do to assist in this matter, I will be spending the majority of my time at the Scald to be on-hand to assist. Otherwise, I will continue my investigation and hope to meet with you as soon as possible.

Signed,
Fiordelise Foscari
Palatial Physician

[Blue41]

Foscari,

Despite what you've heard so far, this is less a sickness in the typical sense and more a curse, originating in the Taffavogh monolith. We can discuss this further in person- in part because I'm still drafting a more comprehensive report for the Divan and I dislike repeating myself, and in part because this will inevitably delve into conjecture.

Ultimately this may be wasted on you regardless. This requires a Makhyoon worth their salt, but beggars can be choosers. We'll see what you can do.

Lt. R. Colmes
Commander

[NeedForGreed]

Lieutenant Colmes,

Thank you for your time. I'll hope to speak with you soon. I'll include a quick briefing of what I've learned thus far - you are correct, nothing indicates it is an actual sickness of any sort.

Apothar Zol Nur has requested we do what we can to help you, so I seek what information I can so that my fellow Nadiri may seek options as well. So, I understand your concern about the relevance of medical aid, but know that more is offered.


My initial interviews have suggested that the Monolith is inducing distressing, maddening dreams into the minds of the soldiers - most likely a shared dream which draws on existing memories and is upsettingly maddening. I have not been able to confirm yet whether the dream is in fact shared. These symptoms were observed by others in close proximity to said Monolith, but its effects appear to have spread broadly to the war camp and worsened dramatically. I have no information on whether the Monolith is still at the original camp where it was found.

Access to victims would still be of greatest help. I suspect that a form of sleep therapy may help deal with the problem. I'd like to visit the site of the Monolith to investigate further. Do we have your permission to do so?

In the meantime, an offer: please consider sending soldiers experiencing particularly dire symptoms, directly to the Hospital. Possibly with one or more guards. Those at highest risk of experiencing suicide may be preventable, if we get them away from the War Camp, into comfortable and peaceful settings, and keep them calm with mild sedatives (optional, if you prefer otherwise). My running theory is that the collective trauma of the war camp, combined with shared dreams infected with their own madness, are the direct cause of the suicides.

Of course, my information may well be missing a great deal that you have to share. I'd prefer to have more confirmation and testing of my suspicions. I'll await our meeting, though if we are not able to meet up soon a copy of the report would also be appreciated. This is, at the moment, my personal top priority. I am at your disposal.

Signed,
Fiordelise

[NeedForGreed]

Lieutenant,

A field expedition to the site by the Tower seems prudent to investigate further, I am proposing it internally. Could you clarify whether this would be allowed?

Fiordelise Foscari
Palatial Physician

[Blue41]

This is likely a Council matter. I would bring up the matter there- but I'm inclined to think that under carefully controlled circumstances, it could be. Right now the greatest risk would be exacerbating matters. We're poking around a bear cave at night.

Lt. R. Colmes
Commander

[NeedForGreed]

I am not a member of the War Council, but I will pass this on to Apothar Zol Nur and see if he wants to bring it up. I agree, however - it's risky, and if it happens, it's going to be with full authorization and a great deal of care.

Grenth is interested in helping, we are just trying to find the right way to do it. In the meantime, I'm making daily trips to the War Camp to check on the Afflicted and search out new cases. I'll keep you informed if I hear anything. Had a chat with the Sukaitza, they reported no issues so far but I'm not sure how much that can be trusted.

Signed,
Fiordelise

[NeedForGreed]

Lieutenant Colmes,

I am conducting a survey of the War Camp and its regular soldiers, attempting to document the current status of the spread of the Scald Madness.

I request some time with each of your soldiers, to perform a health and wellness check. I offer my medical care to any unrelated health problems they may be dealing with and will be considerate of their time spent. I have had nothing but the best experiences with some of your soldiers in the past.

I'll be reaching out to them over the next few days to conduct concise interviews and check for symptoms, and forward my report to you when it is complete.

More broadly, I am seeking evidence of how much if at all the Affliction is spreading now that the camp is further from the original Monolith. With many soldiers choosing to hide symptoms or not self-report, it is possible that symptoms may go unnoticed.

Otherwise, please let me know if there is any help that can be given to your men in the meantime. For those involved in the war effort, I regularly offer at-cost potions of healing and insulation.

Signed,
Fiordelise Foscari