Clararton Bartolara
The Vir Doctus Of Bartolara: (a.k.a. The Great Healer)
Though our travels were hastened by our desperation, finally seeing the gates of Bartolara through weary eyes, brought a brief sense of achievement and hope that the famous healers could indeed, aid our plight. After the guardsmen questioned us and the clerics assessed our conditions, we were given food and water and brought to the quarantine courtyard. As we passed under the gateway, a feeling of relief passed through me as my tired eyes rested upon the inscription above. “Ubicumque homo est, ibi benefici locus est”. “Wherever there is a mankind, there is a place of kindness.”
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Even throughout her advanced years, she was always seen as a picture of health, tall, athletic, quick of foot and mind, with suntanned skin and wide, kind smile, encircled by curly brown hair.
Apparel & Accessories
Usually dressed in plain, earth toned clothes or in the healers garb of her patron deity.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Clararton was born in a small town just outside of Angus in the year 524 A.S. Her expecting mother was rushed to the midwife by a shadowy man, who she called Colwin Winter. During that tragic night, Clararton’s mother died giving birth. The following night, the man took the newborn to the Temple of Allfaith, in the town of Schild. The man never returned and Clararton was raised in the temple until age 13.
Throughout her youth, Clararton developed a great fondness for healing animals. At age 10 she found an injured deer in the forest outside of town and nursed the animal back to health on her own. During her 13th year she was blessed with her first healing prayer, after her friend fell from a tree injuring herself badly. She recited the prayers learned in the temple and healed her wounds.
Shortly thereafter, at age 15, she was recruited by “The Sisters Of Sorrow”, as one of their youngest members ever. In her travels with the sisters, Clararton honed her healing skills and learned as much as possible about healing prayers and practices. She advanced quickly in the sisterhood, but would not fight or shed blood during confrontations when they occasionally happened. During their time healing the Morningstone Halflings, after the attack by Dripping Blade Goblins, she realized that her true calling was a healer and vowed never to cause any harm to anyone. This steadfast belief led her to leave the sisterhood at age 20.
With her newfound viewpoint solidified, Clararton then joined “The Matrons Of Life” as a dedicated healer. For the next seven years she traveled with a group of matrons, settling for a time in Aspenwood and learning all that she could about natural remedies from the elves.
At 27, she once again left the group and traveled south working as a healer in various towns and cities. For a time she lived in Templum as a healer until the city was overthrown and all of the clerics were expelled or killed. She escaped with some dwarves who were seeking aid, at age 33.
From age 34 to 41 she assisted the dwarves of Guan Din, with diagnosing and combating what became known in the mountain as “The Silicos Plague”. While able to eventually cure individual dwarves, they could not stop the spread of the plague or identify its vector. After great care and observation, Clararton was eventually able to isolate the vector and cure the Rock Bats that carried the plague, and earned the eternal gratitude of the dwarves.
After leaving the dwarves, Clararton sought to fulfill her greatest dream of building a community of permanent healers. This would be a center of curative knowledge and treatment. Everyone was welcome to come and share their ideas and experiences, as well as study healing, and therefore spread the knowledge of healing far and wide. All people were accepted for treatment and no one was ever turned away. Clararton traveled south and west looking for an area of fresh air and the ideal, relaxed climate to create her community.
After a year of looking, the local gnomes pointed her to a perfect location. At 42, she broke ground on her dream and established what the inhabitants would later call the Clararton Curative Clinic and the Clararton Restorative Clinic. As word spread of the great healing taking place, many people decided to stay and support the new endeavor as well as try to make a living there. The quickly growing encampment became known as Bartolara, after its creator Clararton Bartolara. When news of the new settlement reached her former dwarven contacts, they decided to send construction teams to help build her a more permanent and structural community, as a way to express their gratitude for her work and to clear their debt to her.
The years grew on and the community thrived. At the 5 year anniversary, the residents decided to make their implied leader, become their official leader, and proclaimed Clararton as the Vir Doctus of Bartolara. She continued her curative work and led the community until her death.
Clararton died peacefully in her sleep from natural causes at the age of 128 in the year 652 A.S. She was interned in a special mausoleum built by the people of Bartolara. People came from far and wide to attend her funeral. Kings, queens, royalty, soldiers, and peasants all wept a tear for her that day. The funeral lasted well into the evening, where the last person to see her and seal the mausoleum door was a shadowy man called Colwin Winter. Above the doors, in bas relief was one of Clarartons famous quotes. As he read it, it brought a faint hint of a smile to his pale face.
"The sick and the weak are the strength for our souls."
Education
From birth, Clararton was raised and trained in the Temple of Allfaith, in the town of Schild, until age 13, when she began her studies at the Healers Guild in the city of Clero. At age 15 she was recruited by “The Sisters Of Sorrow”, to help cure the wounded and dying from various battles on the borderlands. Her great healing skills quickly propelled her through the ranks, until her extreme aversion to violence led her to join “The Matrons Of Life”, at age 20. With the “Matrons”, she traveled far and wide, helping to cure the injured and sick, until her departure at age 27, to seek more rare and difficult maladies to remedy.
During Clararton’s great travels, she learned and observed, not only about indigenous peoples healing practices, but also their beliefs, laws, interactions, and societal dynamics.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Throughout her career, Clararton had many great successes and triumphs. A noteworthy few, are that she:
Developed a fine filter Hydromask for the miners of Drysdale in order to prevent Lunghack, as well as inventing the Inverted Lungflush And Purge Procedure to cure it.
Cured Ozric Hazerider of the Dataran Plainsmen,
Cured the “Silicos Plague” in the dwarven kingdom of Guan Din,
Cured the “Anthurium Virus” in the dwarven kingdom of Haldor,
Cured The Greens Disease in the town of Knotline,
Developed an antidote to the Glow Wine Addiction in Cicindela,
Founded the healing community and later free city of Bartolara,
Built the Clararton Curative Clinic in Bartolara,
Built the Clararton Restorative Clinic in Bartolara.
Morality & Philosophy
All decisions are based on what is best for the overall health and well being of the people. She does not condone the use of violence in any form and refuses to allow edged weapons in her company.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
The death of her mother during her birth, has haunted Clararton throughout her life. This feeling of guilt, fueled her drive and intense focus on healing, especially during her early years. She continually pushes herself to learn more and heal more, so as to prevent as much death as possible. She has an unyielding desire to heal and protect all the races of the world, particularly those individuals most helpless or overlooked.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
A natural healer who had great talent at an early age.
Likes & Dislikes
Has a strong dislike of violence and bloodshed.
Virtues & Personality perks
Patient, calm, levelheaded, charismatic, intelligent and wise.
Vices & Personality flaws
Refuses to fight unless cornered and never uses a weapon that is designed to draw blood.
Social
Contacts & Relations
In her travels, Clararton has met many peoples, and formed many friendships. A few of the more notable contacts are:
The dwarves of Haldor and Guan Din,
The elves of Moondale,
The halflings of Morningstone,
The gnomes of Fernbodle,
The gnolls of the Greenstick Clan,
The canins of the Bravehowl Pack,
The leaenions of the Honorlight Pride,
And Sisalik of the Lacertians.
Family Ties
Has no known living family.
Religious Views
A devout follower and dedicated healer of Alacrita, Goddess Of Life And Healing.
Alignment
Lawful Good
Species
Honorary & Occupational Titles
"The Vir Doctus Of Bartolara" - The title of "Vir Doctus" signifies the ruler and chief decision maker of the city. This title is given only to the healer who has achieved the highest rank, lived in the city for more than 20 years, and has been voted upon by the other resident healers.
Circumstances of Birth
Mother died in childbirth.
Circumstances of Death
Died peacefully of natural causes.
Children
Current Residence
Entombed in her mausoleum in Bartolara.
Gender
Female
Eyes
Deep brown eyes.
Hair
Shoulder length, curly, brown hair.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light sun tanned skin.
Height
5'11"
Early Healing Affiliations
“The Sisters Of Sorrow”. The sisterhood is an organization of female healers and clerics from many faiths, dedicated to traveling the lands, hiring out as noncombatant, military or security healers.“Dying ain’t much of a living”.“The Matrons Of Life”. The matrons are an organization of priestesses who worship Alacrita, Goddess Of Life And Healing. They are entirely dedicated to healing all creatures and spreading life throughout the world. They are opposed to doing harm and would rather die or sacrifice themselves than to injure anyone.
by by Goran-Alena
The article now has a very strong setp up of Clararton. His background and personal story is the strong-point of the article. 1. I would definitely suggest implementing some art into the article to liven it up a little. A couple of visual references can really go a long way. 2. I would maybe suggest adding more detail onto the achievements section, as those are very important to the article. Perhaps taking some parts of the personal history and placing them in the achievements, as it currently seems to just be a short list of the stuff above. 3. I would have also liked to read about some of the struggles she suffered during her time, or ere there people who wanted to stop her from helping people and why? 4. The bits on the side could use being under a heading, because they were very easy to miss, and they do provide some important context.
Thank you for the great suggestions. I had to really rush to get the article in under the deadline, but I will definitely be sprucing it up a bit. It is certainly a work in progress right now. I will be away for a while and hope to work on it when I get back. Thanks again.