From: shaun@csc.liv.ac.uk (Shaun Hovers)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [G] Healing Pains
Message-ID: <6545@m1.cs.man.ac.uk>
Date: 23 Oct 92 12:40:02 GMT

Characters Mentioned: Galland, Wanderer, Glysten, rest of group ( in passing )
Authors: Kevin Smith, Shaun Hovers.

	Galland and Wanderer prepare themselves to address Glysten's
injury.  

	Galland moves to take Glysten's head in his lap; he holds his
hands on either side of the head, and then lays his right hand with the
black ring on the little finger in the center of Glysten's forehead.  He
closes his eyes and is silent, concentrating as Wanderer addresses the
wound itself.

	Seeing Galland ready, Wanderer looks at the wound left behind by
the bolt. Using a dagger to remove some of the poison coating the skin he
looks closely at it and fetches his one of the packs from his horse. Taking
out an empty vial his scrapes the dry poison into it and adds a colourless
liquid from a second vial. Wanderer watches carefully as the liquid rapidly
turns a dark green colour.
 	"Good stuff this." He comments to no-one in particular. " Quick, 
effective and dangerous. Our leader must have a thick skin and iron willpower 
- if he hadn't, he'd be dead by now instead of delerious or unconcious.
Right then, to work." 
 	With these words he takes two more items from his pack - a small box
and another vial. The box when opened contains a paste which Wanderer smears
around the bolt wound as it touches the remaining poison, the two mix becoming
liquid which is quickly wiped away. Once this is done Wanderer moves towards 
Glysten's head and being careful not to disturb Galland, he prises open the 
unconcious man's mouth and pours in a drop of liquid from the vial. Glysten
coughs slightly, Wanderer smiles and returns the items to his pack then the 
pack to his horse.
	"Right Galland, that's the physical stuff done - the mind is down to 
you. I'm gonna get some sleep and then take a guard."
	After this he thinks and says louder ( noticing Roger and Thor-kann 
already taking guard and sparring ).  "Roger and Thorr-kan carry on with 
guard until me and Kordane take over.  Traveller and Bran take last guard 
until dawn..."
	This said Wanderer takes a blanket and drifts off to sleep.


	Galland stirs, strokes the ring across Glysten's forehead in a
spiral pattern.  He has felt through the peculiar area of perception that
is as a landscape to those of his profession.  There is indeed a compulsion
attached to Glysten -- a compulsion, that is, apart from the deeper
compulsion that he is sure he shares himself, the perception that all
things will be most ill with the world if he does not participate in this
journey.  To know a compulsion is not necessarily to be free from it.

	The newer compulsion is more fragile, since administered through
a more tenuous avenue.  The arrow echoes traces of the effect, and Galland
takes it in his left hand to build a counter.  It shows signs of being
temporary and erratic, unpredictable.  This means that the effects might
appear again without warning, or they might fade away.  Having been
introduced into Glysten via a physical agency, the perception has too
much substance for Galland to simple erase it.  He can, however, construct
a suitable buffer.  Galland weaves his own perception into Glysten.  He
has no interest in ultimate control over a fellow party member -- that is
anathema -- so his task is made simpler by the innate will Glysten possesses
to see what IS.  Galland grasps this will, strengthens it with his own
(and the attuning force of the ring which now glows a soft green), and
builds a barrier shielding Glysten from the compulsion to see friends as
enemies.  Glysten will see truly, unless faced with a stronger perception
ward.  Galland smiles slightly -- a perception ward such as the one Galland
himself maintains.  How strong to make this barrier?  A close encounter
with the agent of this compulsion could easily strengthen it.  Galland
ties his own perception of what IS into the barrier, so that if it should
be strengthened abruptly, Galland will know and feel the effects first.

	He sighs softly and sits back.  The glow of the ring dies, to
a dull green shade, sign of the barrier it supports.  Galland looks at
Wanderer, who has finished his ministrations.  "Well, now we must wait.
I had best keep an eye on him until he wakes, that we may know all went
well."

	The camp settles into evening routine; all in this group have
known many such evenings, although some such as Kordane are more used
to stable city life.  Galland asks to be left out of the normal watch
schedule, so that he may keep close watch on Glysten.

	As the stars turn overhead behind thick leafed trees, Glysten
again stirs, awakening slowly this time.  The young woman Galland is the
first person he sees.  Reaching out to him with concern.  Glysten looks around
and sees a normal sleepy camp, no signs left of the attackers.  With a
groan at his lingering headache, he sleeps again.