Guardians of the Magical Herbs/Monster-Zoo/Lucius' Reports

Part I

-As Lucius sat at the desk in his tent, awaiting his meeting with the Lord Chancellor in Wilwau, he began to organize his notes from the last few days.

"Scribe!", Lucius called. "Come here a minute, if you would."

The scribe entered the tent. "Yes, Sir Lucius."

"I am going to publish my report concerning what I learned from Anne, our youngling monster captive prior to turning her over to Lord Bulwyf's zoo. I wish that you will send a copy to every troop leader in Avalon. I want you to use the very best parchment that I own, however, for the copy sent to Lord Kain, founder of my guild, and for Lord Bulwyf, founder of the zoo. Then they will preserve better in the archives."

"Continue when ready, Sir Lucius," the scribe uttered.

With that, Lucius began to look to his notes. He remembered the travel time spent with Anne, and the countless hours when he did not sleep while learning from her. Then he began to speak...

"It turned out to be true that the youngling monster, Anne, that I captured in Norjke, was able to communicate. It is a rude system of mimics and gestures, but after some time, I was able to understand, and even talk back to her. It is a truly beastly and uncivilized language, if you can call it a language, but it suits the basic purpose.'

"She is young, and not as knowledgable as I would imagine the adults to be, but she knew much about her food, of course, and healing remedies used by the monsters themselves. As younglings, they often eat berries, and other plants found primarily in badland regions and forests. This diet is supplemented with crushed animal, or in some cases human, leftovers from the adult monsters' meals. Grain also makes up a large portion of their normal daily consumption.'

Lucius paused, seemingly tired. Remembering Anne exhausted him. He only wished that he could have spent more time with her. There could have been so much to learn.

"Alex," Lucius said to his scribe.

"Yes, Sir."

"I need to rest for now. Send the reports out with a notation that I will finish the report later. There is more to come."

Yes, Sir Lucius," Alex responded, and then immediately left the tent.

Lucius lay on his cot, awaiting the Chancellor, and slowly dozed off for a brief nap.

Part II

Just prior to moving out to Lacint, to confront the monsters rampaging there, and to train these new militiamen that he'd hired, Lucius called Alex, his scribe, into his quarters.

"I want to have more of the report written concerning Anne," he said to the scribe.

"Proceed when you are ready, My Lord," was Alex's reply.

Lucius continued, "After much time with Anne, the youngling monster captured in Norjke, I learned more than just the eating habits of the monsters. It is unfortunate that I was unable to derive the actual social structure of their culture from Anne, but the knowledge she did have was astounding, to say the least.'

"The younglings seem to be taught at a very young age to forage for the non-carnivorous food items that these creatures devour. Equally important to them, however, are natural items that they can forage for that will aid their healing process after battles. It seems there are various methods of healing followed by these beasts, and, of course, not many were known to this young one proficiently. She did display the knowledge of two, seemingly effectual methods.'

"The first was a treatment for bleeding wounds, that seemed to retard the flow of blood. She made a gesture that seemed to apply to a "soft" stone. She knew the difference between hard and soft, but to which particular mineral she was referring, I do not know as of yet. The stones are heated, four of them to be exact, and placed directly on the surface of the flesh surrounding the wound. Although she communicated that great pain was inflicted by this method, it was clear that the process was effective. Which brought us to her second healing ability.'

"She described an herb, found in mountainous regions, or in the forest, which could help with the pain inflicted by wounds, and, secondarily, by the previous method of healing described. I believe this magical herb, based on her description, to be the very same as that which we grow in the mountains of Norjke. They place the herb directly on the wound in a crude form of compress, but additionally smoke the herb from a bored out stone, a "hard" stone, in her description. The application of this plant decreases pain, and accelerates the process of healing.'

Lucius turned to look directly at his scribe. He had seemed off in a trance during his dictation, remembering Anne. "Alex, I am tired, and we must travel."

"Yes, My Lord. I shall prepare the messages to be dispatched. Should I follow the same instructions as before?"

"Of course," Lucius replied, "and be sure to use the finest parchment in Cteduul for the copies to be sent to the guildhouse and to Bulwyf's zoo."

"It shall be done, My Lord."

Lucius sent for his horse to be prepared. Shortly thereafter, he mounted Concussion - such a fine steed, he thought - and began to prepare his newly hired militiamen for departure.

Part III

As Lucius rose up upon Concussion, the monstrous steed given to him by the Chancellor, he turned to the steward of his manor. "I will return in just a couple days. While I am gone I expect you to prepare the room as I instructed you."

With a slight nod of his head, the steward replied, "Yes, My Lord, but with all due respect, what purpose would such a room serve?"

"Steward," Lucius said sternly, "just find the necessary chemicals and containers. Put them in that room. Have the locksmith and carpenter reinforce that door. And prepare for my return. It is none of your concern what will happen in there at this point. Be assured, I will keep you up to date on the happenings within this manor. Be prepared for my arrival."

With that Lucius prodded Concussion to move. The air cracked with the force of his movement, as if it didn't have time to part before his speed and force. And as Lucius rode back towards the capital he pondered what he was about to do. He got the idea from Anne, but in her youthful innocence, she did not even know what she had shown him.

In a few days, he would begin, in a laboratory, in a manor, in Avalon...