Well On His Way To Rank 2 Of Novice-Novice Log
RW Abbey: First Classroom
This room is longer than it is wide, with a single barred window set into the outer wall. What wallspace exists seems to be dedicated completely to row upon row of bookshelves, all of them empty. The one exception is the wall at the front of the room, which contains a large slate board being held in place by iron pegs. There are four long tables in here, with chairs scattered about, and a basket on the corner of one of the tables near the front contains many pieces of thick chalk, while another contains at least a score of thin slate boards with wooden frames, about the size, if not thickness, of the average book.
Exits: [Hall]way
"Now, students, we have a special guest instructor today," the aged Brother at the head of the class is saying, adjusting his spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "Our Champion is dropping by to hear some of your essays and readings. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior," he adds, with a stern glance towards a chattery otter in the far corner, who notices and clams up immediately. "Good." Right on time, a squirrely head pokes through the door, glancing around until Magramba sights the teacher at the front. "Ready?" the warrior asks, and the Brother nods, waving him in. "Good morning!" With the go-ahead, he sweeps in, smiling broadly at the class of novices. "I hope you're all paying good attention to Brother Elmhearst. He's a good mouse and a better teacher. Who would like to be first to read?"
Caleb is alert today and is one that stays quiet so he can pay attention in the class. Slightly tried as he was double checking his report over before he decided it was good. He waited to see if anyone else wanted to go first before he decides; well he may as well go first as someone has to be brave and go first so he raises a paw "I could go first sir"
One of the other mice is just putting her paw in the air when Caleb speaks up, and she quickly grabs it back down before anyone has a chance to notice her. "Alright, this young lad here," Magramba agrees, pointing to Caleb. "Novice Caleb, wasn't it? I remember the plague essay." He nods to himself as he remembers their encounter in the library, casting back to recall the details. "Come up to the front, here, then." A fist raps sharply on the surface of the podium, indicating where he ought to stand.
Caleb slowly stands and walks forwards with his essay and nods “Yes sir I am Novice Caleb " He goes to stand where he is told to and will begin when he is told to start. He looks over the class, not too nervous to speak in front of them, least not too much anyways.
The class goes silent, for the most part, with a lingering comment from that otter squeaking out before he realizes Caleb is about to start. Magramba gives a nod from the side of the front area for the mouse to begin.
Caleb nods as he starts "I was given the subject of the plague that happen some seasons ago before any of us..well novices, were born yet. Some of the elders around then are still around today and some are not." He then begins. " I begin my report to say this happen many seasons ago, before I was born and before my father was Master Healer here at the abbey, it was a time when a great illness came to the abbey and a close by long patrol base. The illness was later called a plaque and not only affected the abbey, it affect post 67 of the Long patrol as well. Records are in the abbey library and written at the time by a recorder know as Brother Harper, and some records by a scholar named Garth the Scholar, but Brother Harper had most of the records written up. Some of the abbey residents from then, are still around today and those are Flicktail, Magramba and I believe some of the Long Patrol members are still around, but at the mountain at this time. Nicodemus was abbot at the time. Now I write of this plaque that made its way to the abbey and Long Patrol past 67, it started as a simple cough and tried feeling and was over looked as maybe a cold as it happen during the winter season at the time in the month of January, the first week on the 6th.The illness ran rampant within a weeks’ time. The illness symptoms were fatigue, aches, chills, mild fever, and headache and then turned to serious cough, trouble breathing and high fever and healers started to get ill as well. When beasts started dieing,10 within the first week, that’s when beasts knew something serious was going on. The plaque begun that season on January 6th and by then as said 10 were dead, on the 7th the death count came to 12 and the upper and middle floors of the abbey were under quarantine or closed off to the healthy beasts to stop the illness from spreading. Temporary dorms were made in cavern hole for hose not ill and only healers were allowed in the quarantine areas. On the 8th 16 was the death count and a hare from post 67 said the illness was there as well and about 3 were dead thee, so no beast was allowed to go, or leave , post 67.Saddly the death count was 19 by the 10th and the whole abbey was under quarantine and no one could leave till it was ended, and few could enter and if they did they could not leave again. Bodies of the dead throughout this was taken to the grasslands and burned to help not spread the illness and soon only the healers knew the death count, but it was still written down and I will only say many more lost their lives mainly some elders and a good number of dibbuns at the time. At one time a Lt Taye of the Long Patrol brought medical supplies but has to throw the supplies to a healer to avoid entering the quarantine area. A hare named Brenden found in some old recorder logs of the Long Patrol an illness similar to what this was, he called it Pneumonia and an herb called Goldenseal was a possible cure that helped and we now make sure it’s in stock in the abbey infirm here. It was an isolated case of a squirrel that had it and died and how coughing made the air seem to turn bad. Cloths over ones face were mentioned to help prevent the spread of the illness . Goldenseal is a kind flower that looks like a daisy, with a red berry on top. He also mentioned how Moldy bread helped his mom, the idea made of been used but if it was it was not recorded, but I did find one case where my father used moldy bread, or maybe was mold on some sort of cheese, when he was a captive during a time an insane fox called Stormfeather was around and it keep Papa Oz’s knee, which was infected, from getting worse and it helped a cough from damp conditions a slight bit, but otherwise mold on anything as a cure for anything is not mentioned again, so if was used again, it was not written down in records. A group of beasts was sent to Southwards to get the herb Goldenseal and get it to the abbey, some others died before the herb got to the abbey but it did end up being a cure and did save lives, sadly lives were lost. Brother Harper was one of the lucky ones to of survived the illness and some others were lucky to not get ill at all. The Master Healer at the time was Hollyberry but I could not find if he survived the illness, I think he did but died a season or so later due to the illness of weakening him. I also found a play was preformed to raise sprits of those who were ill and those who were not, it was titled Colonel Wameus and the Ridiculous, Revolting Pirates, and it wrote by Tameus and Harper. It was funny about a pirate who wanted to take over the badger Mountain and of course failed. Colonel Zoe playing Kessy the One-Eyed Fearsome Pirate, Bradge as Delilah the...delightful doe, and starring Tameus as the great Colonel Wameus. It also was proven laughter is a good cure to help one feel better also, or least it helps one recover because if one is depressed they will not want better and not fight as hard to live. The long patrol hares left after the last of the plaque survivors recovered, and a small feast was made with a cake shaped like the healing herb Goldenseal, also called Goldenwort by some. If I had been around I most likely would have volunteered to help my dad as he would have been the one in the infirm helping beasts and may have even been one of them that got ill during it. I would have looked for recorder logs sooner as well when it was clear more than one beast had the same symptoms, not just 1 or 2 beasts. I would have made sure the infirm stayed well stocked as it was low on supplies at this time and it was harder to get supplies to them when the illness was going on . Also I believe they could have been stricter on who went to the upper and middle floors and that would have helped the illness not spread further. I believe they could have been stricter on who went to the upper and middle floors and that would have helped the illness not spread further. I believe they know better now and quarantine seriously ill beasts faster now than before. I may have sent a sparrow or two to find the herb as they get to and from locations faster. I also believe better cures and medical issues are being learned and put into effect and who knows maybe one day they will find a way to prevent some illness before one even has a chance to get them, I would like to see that happen but it could be many, many seasons from now." He finishes his essay and speaks clearly and his writing on the paper is very neat a readable with his name on top and when it was written for the class.
"Very good, Caleb," Magramba nods, from where he's leaned up against the wall. "Try to be clear and concise with your writing. Don't ramble on and on down side-paths unless they support your main point. That goes for all of you," he adds, sweeping the room with a finger. Before Caleb can make his way back to his seat, the squirrel gets in a few follow-up questions. "You said you would keep the infirmary better stocked. What would you do if there were two sicknesses back to back, and the first one wiped out your supplies? Or if someone broke in and stole half of them?"
Caleb listens to what is said and nods "I would...seem who is sickest and tend to them first, it’s another thing they did during that time. I also would see if some of our allies could share some supplies, if not then depending on the season one could gather some more herbs, clean bed sheets could be cut up for bandages if that was needed, there is some extra of those. Let’s see, also if was truly needed maybe slightly less dosages of something, course depending on what it was as that could make matters worse. “Caleb adds “One could also track down who stole supplies and find out why"
"Those are good ideas," Magramba agrees, nodding. "The point I wanted to make is that the future is uncertain. You can't know what's going to happen, so there is no way to be perfectly prepared. Even if you had a full stockpile of supplies for one plague, you might get hit by a different one. The roof might leak and ruin your supplies. Things happen that you can't predict, so beyond gathering and storing supplies, whether medicine, food, water, or what have you, it pays to sit down and think through as many situations as you can and at least decide on a first step for each. You can't think of everything, but you can think of many things, and there's almost always some overlap in how problems are handled. /Never/ assume every problem will look the same as the last one." The warrior turns a serious glance around the room to let the importance of that point sink in on the students. "Any questions for Caleb or myself?"
Caleb nods "Of course not sir, and even if help is asked for I know it doesn't always mean it will be giving and even asking Martin will not always help"
"I have a question," pipes one of the other novices, putting her paw in the air. "When you said that the plague was cured by that Golden-deal, and that we always keep some here, and that it came from Southsward, who's getting more of that? Southsward is /far./"
Caleb says, "I believe a traveler brought some not too long ago and we did just have some beats from southward and I believe they brought some with them, it’s not an herb used too often and it’s Goldenwort, also called Goldenseal. It may even grow elsewhere, but it’s not been recorded that anyone has looked for it besides there"
"Okay, thanks." The mouse maid smiles up at the front, and Magramba nods. "Anyone else? Okay. Thank you Caleb, you may have a seat."
Caleb nods as he goes to sit back down and waits to see what others have written about in reports
And some other did reports and essays vole maid fainted from being afraid of speaking in front of others. At the end of class Caleb got his newest leaf charm and one step closer to 2nd rank novice!
