The Black Box Medics
Who helps the helping hand?
The Black box Medics are not an organization. They are individuals. Each Medic is a professional in the medical field, and through some twist of fate or unfortunate event, they have sworn to mend the broken and maimed. Many in The Web, especially the Medic's fellow Troubleshooters, have little in the way of income, and a visit to an ER late at night often comes with questions no one wants to answer.
It's easy to pass off some as an attack from a wild animal, but what about gunshot wounds? What about arcane injuries that don't behave as they should? The Medics were a solution to this problem. They are doctors who asked too many questions, and received too many answers. The Candlelight took hold, and they couldn't go back.
Some still practice medicine. Some open their own practice, establishing clinics out where the population is limited. They wait for their next exotic wound to heal. Some are obsessed with this new and dangerous field of medicine. They perform autopsies on far more fascinating specimens, mesmerized by the strange anatomy. It's a well understood fact that many of these men and women are sponsored by the university, and some even join, leaving their practice and their oaths behind.
It's easy to pass off some as an attack from a wild animal, but what about gunshot wounds? What about arcane injuries that don't behave as they should? The Medics were a solution to this problem. They are doctors who asked too many questions, and received too many answers. The Candlelight took hold, and they couldn't go back.
Some still practice medicine. Some open their own practice, establishing clinics out where the population is limited. They wait for their next exotic wound to heal. Some are obsessed with this new and dangerous field of medicine. They perform autopsies on far more fascinating specimens, mesmerized by the strange anatomy. It's a well understood fact that many of these men and women are sponsored by the university, and some even join, leaving their practice and their oaths behind.
The Medics
The Medics patch up members of The Web when they are injured. They are stationed throughout the world, but are few in numbers and fewer in resources. Often times, when the nearest medic is too far or the wounds are too severe, a hospital is the only option. This leads to many problems with authorities and the risk of spreading Candlelight.
The Medics are masters of their field, each more than capable if they have the proper tools. Most members of The Web prefer being on a Medic's table as opposed to an operation room. Their methods may be crude, their touch less than gentle, but no one can patch you up like a Black Box Medic.
They employ a mix of age-old remedies, modern medicine, and forms of healing they learn during their time in The Web. Perhaps a strange flesh eating fungus is perfect for fighting necrosis, or a brew produced by a nearby cult is ideal for alleviating the flu.
The Medics are masters of their field, each more than capable if they have the proper tools. Most members of The Web prefer being on a Medic's table as opposed to an operation room. Their methods may be crude, their touch less than gentle, but no one can patch you up like a Black Box Medic.
They employ a mix of age-old remedies, modern medicine, and forms of healing they learn during their time in The Web. Perhaps a strange flesh eating fungus is perfect for fighting necrosis, or a brew produced by a nearby cult is ideal for alleviating the flu.
Fun Fact: An eye for injury
Medics have innate surgical skill, and learn to identify injuries with a glance alone. The more they encounter the result of the many dangers in The Web, the more they come to understand it on a deeper level.This is a product of the candlelight they possess. It's not photographic memory, but if they have encountered the same problem once, they will know it if they encounter it again. It's an instinct; a hunch.
This gut feeling will guide their steady hands as they work to mend their patients. They are focused, even with their patient's companions lingering around with frantic cries and constant questions.
Black Box Clinics
The Clinics are vital for many organizations of The Web. The Medic who opens it maintains a night shift, allowing 24 hour service. Clinics are better equipped to handle the issues their patients bring to their doorstep.
The environment is also less prone to infection, as the exposure to often unknown and resilient pathogens can find their way into the civilian population if not kept perfectly sterile.
The facilities are also more agreeable, as finding certain medicines and tools involves little more than a brisk trot to a room down the hall, vs a hospital visit to smuggling supplies.
The environment is also less prone to infection, as the exposure to often unknown and resilient pathogens can find their way into the civilian population if not kept perfectly sterile.
The facilities are also more agreeable, as finding certain medicines and tools involves little more than a brisk trot to a room down the hall, vs a hospital visit to smuggling supplies.
Do No Harm
The Medics offer little in the way of offensive capabilities. They refuse to leash out and attack anyone, and will never refuse a patient requiring their care.
This can make their relationship with other organizations tense at the least, as even the more intelligent creatures found in the darkest places of The Web will find themselves safe on their tables.
The Medics take pride in this fact, as in exchange for their service to what some may call monsters, they receive a keener understanding of the injuries that a creature may cause at a later date.
This can make their relationship with other organizations tense at the least, as even the more intelligent creatures found in the darkest places of The Web will find themselves safe on their tables.
The Medics take pride in this fact, as in exchange for their service to what some may call monsters, they receive a keener understanding of the injuries that a creature may cause at a later date.
Making Due
The Medics don't always have access to what they need. Medical equipment is expensive and what they can't steal from the hospitals they once worked at, they are either forced to buy, or make due in whatever way they can. This includes finding appropriate, and sometimes more effective, substitutes to work with. Other times it's about using their unique medical experience to diagnose what other doctors couldn't diagnose correctly.
Sometimes it's easy. One can stitch wounds with dental floss and a sewing needle, superglue is used in hospitals around the world, though with a more medically appropriate and expensive name, and a bottle of Everclear can work for anesthesia, as well as a decent method of sterilization if fire isn't available. There are times when circumstances are problematic. If the patient needs an MRI, it will be hard to find a Medic that can pull it off.
Many Medics operate out of their own home. It's common for them to have members of The Web beating down their door at ungodly hours. Having their own practice was never in the cards for them. They are the least equipped to handle the needs of The Web, and yet, they are the ones who are the hardest working and most active. These Medics are highly mobile, carrying their equipment with them to where ever they are needed.
Sometimes it's easy. One can stitch wounds with dental floss and a sewing needle, superglue is used in hospitals around the world, though with a more medically appropriate and expensive name, and a bottle of Everclear can work for anesthesia, as well as a decent method of sterilization if fire isn't available. There are times when circumstances are problematic. If the patient needs an MRI, it will be hard to find a Medic that can pull it off.
Many Medics operate out of their own home. It's common for them to have members of The Web beating down their door at ungodly hours. Having their own practice was never in the cards for them. They are the least equipped to handle the needs of The Web, and yet, they are the ones who are the hardest working and most active. These Medics are highly mobile, carrying their equipment with them to where ever they are needed.
What's in a name?
The Black Box Medics are names due to how they started. The Medics began in the late 1800s, traveling around with miracle cures and tonics. While most were either frauds or considered frauds, all of them kept their finest wares in a black wooden box. The box would have many features within, from tools and medical equipment of the day, to concoctions of their own invention.
The name wouldn't set in until the 1950s when The Web officially recognized the Medics. While not an organization, any qualified person can petition organizations of The Web for funding in exchange for their 24 hour service. Organizations that couldn't pay can search for this funding in larger organizations, namely The Alexandrian University and The School Of Carthage.
The modern Medics maintain their own black box, a case of black leather. This case will have all they need to practice their trade, and allows them to mobilize at a moment's notice. All essentials are contained within, along with any creations they may have formed to compensate for what modern medicine can't handle. While it won't solve every problem, the black box will usually be enough to save a life.
The name wouldn't set in until the 1950s when The Web officially recognized the Medics. While not an organization, any qualified person can petition organizations of The Web for funding in exchange for their 24 hour service. Organizations that couldn't pay can search for this funding in larger organizations, namely The Alexandrian University and The School Of Carthage.
The modern Medics maintain their own black box, a case of black leather. This case will have all they need to practice their trade, and allows them to mobilize at a moment's notice. All essentials are contained within, along with any creations they may have formed to compensate for what modern medicine can't handle. While it won't solve every problem, the black box will usually be enough to save a life.
No Rest For The Wicked
The life of a Medic is filled with sleepless nights and troubling sights. Many suffer from insomnia, while others are prone to self medication. The forms that sickness and injury take in The Web are far more horrific than what one may find in a hospital.
It's a common spiral many Medics see themselves in, and a common fear for those who have yet to get that far. No one wants a drunk or an addict operating on them, regardless of how many sheets of paper say they are qualified.
Medics who find themselves traveling will usually end up either assisting in field stations during Web Operations, or joining an Eberstark Union. They do their best to stay close to the organizations that need them, and travel with them if need be.
It's a common spiral many Medics see themselves in, and a common fear for those who have yet to get that far. No one wants a drunk or an addict operating on them, regardless of how many sheets of paper say they are qualified.
Medics who find themselves traveling will usually end up either assisting in field stations during Web Operations, or joining an Eberstark Union. They do their best to stay close to the organizations that need them, and travel with them if need be.
Skill tree- WIP
Skill tree
Tier one
Medical Practice
Plus 1 to mind TR, character understands the ins and outs of the medical field in a general sense.
Black Box
The character gains and maintains their own black box. The box will contain medical tools, some with limited uses that must be either replaced or substituted. This will also contain medicine, along with any brewed creations of the Medic. See Black Boxes for more.
Tier 2
Concoctions
Using materials gathered from autopsies, other members of The Web, or their own travels, the medic experiments with these ingredients to create medicines and lotions that assist allies or heal certain ailments. See concoctions for more.
Tier 3
An Eye for Injury
The medic never rolls to heal a status effect, but must roll to stabilize another character. They may also perform more complicated medical procedures without proper facilities provided they have the tools and equipment to do so.
Ah! The party needed a healer. I like how going a bit crazy comes with the territory. Now I'm left to wonder at all the cool (and maybe crazy) things a medic could keep in their black box for emergencies.
Yup! This is very much a healing thing, supporters will like this. I wanna go into more depth about the stuff they have in the box in another article. Lots of crazy ideas