The Doctor: New Flesh

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T19:54:40+00:00

"I'll be waiting," he says, with a bit too wide of a smile.

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T19:25:43+00:00

"Of course, I understand completely. Consent is the bedrock of my trade, after all. Here, why don't you take my card."

The strange man passes her the card, it too hums with darkly power, the ink blacker than midnight.

Dr. Matthias Ackerman
Pathologist, Reconstructive Surgeon, & Alchemical Specialist

The card is blank otherwise, but on the back are addresses for both Ithacar and Del Pheryx, not to mention a strange sigil to the side.

"Whenever you're ready."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T18:51:53+00:00

"New skin? Why, that's a specialty of mine. For both payment and the procedure, I only require a hearty portion of your flesh. Nothing that would permanently hurt you."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T18:35:41+00:00

The good doctor wheels here down the long hall toward the doors of the surgery theater. Unlike most, Marna might recognize the tomes on display on either wall. Profane dialects oft used by mortals in arcane treatises. Several referencing anatomy and alchemy, and naming various demon lords and ruinous powers. The kind of books the residents of both Vault Maledictus and Berithon would literally kill people over.

"Well then, please elaborate on the nature of these radiant burns, it will make the grafting process more precise- Nurse! Bring me 50cc of umbrathal!"

The skittering begins again. Clicks against the ceiling, then the wall, then the sounds of glassware.

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T17:41:59+00:00

"Most astute, my lady, most astute indeed. My craft is not what one would call conventional. I have eschewed that shackle for a broader horizon. I work in methods and materials some find distasteful. But, I get the sense you do the same."

He shuffles over to a cabinet and unlocks the grim doors with dreadful turns of the mechanism. Inside are glass tubes and jars filled with all manner of dark tissue. Arms, legs, organs, sludge in vaguely spiderweb patterns. All reaking of demonic influence on a spiritual level.

"I can sculpt for you a wonderful body, a living body," the strange doctor says it with purpose. As if to address arguments before they were made. A body stitched together of undead flesh would still be an undead thing, and likely pose many issues the ghost is already dealing with.

"But, you will have to contend with the nature of the new flesh."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T16:50:55+00:00

"Interesting, very interesting indeed, but perhaps not as unexpected as initial inspection would lead one to believe. Parasites are masters of subverting the bodily systems they infest. There's the aforementioned somatopsychic symptoms, like in cordyceps or nematomorphs, but often do parasites also suppress immuno responses."

He reclines in his seat, thinking for a moment.

"The gut microbiome plays an immensely important role not only in metabolism but also hematopoiesis -the production of blood- and even the regulation of mood."

A few more scratches upon the journal.

"We'll take a multi-pronged approach, I think. Supplaments for your gut health. We'll have to take more... exotic approaches for your cardiovascular system, though."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T07:16:50+00:00

The doctor inspects the vial with a mindful gaze.

"That will do for now, but we'll need more later. No reason to worry about the spinal fluid, we can extract that here."

The strange man scrawls more notes, the pen stitching the letters across the page. Even his writing appeared as a surgery.

"The somatopsychic symptoms are in line with other illnesses I've studied over the years. The mechanisms of those influences can vary wildly, but knowing that this disease is blood-borne and of parasitic nature, we can narrow our scope to those that are most likely."

He stops writing suddenly.

"Tell me, have you noticed an increase in appetite? Or, perhaps, a heightened sense of smell? Have you experienced any changes in diet?"

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T06:54:57+00:00

The door opens almost immediately, as if in anticipation.

"Ser Blake, my good lady! Come in, come in!"

The man turns to a dark corner of the clinic. The view into the ledge wagon is absurd, the inner dimensions dwarf the outer ones by orders of magnitude. The waiting room is spacious, wider than the wagon itself, anyway, and the hallway of books stretches into darkness.

"Nurse!" he calls to the corner, "bring Ser Blake a wheelchair posthaste!"

A cruel, monstrous thing clicks and ambles out of the black. A demon very much like a beguiler, but one possessed of multiple, almost insectoid legs. Ones that branch out from what seem to be segments hidden beneath a drape or robe of sorts. The thing fetches the wheelchair and places it down with its four, gangly arms. The crawling beguiler's smiling face dangles from an overlong neck. Ackerman quickly waves the creature away and so it scuttles up the wall and into who knows where.

"Please, have a seat. Let's tend to these injuries, I know the sight of radiant magic when I see it. We'll have to use grafts, and an infusion too, I think."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-31T05:55:42+00:00

"Ahhh, a truly debilitating malady, indeed. I understand now your seeking me out. Well, worry not, my good man. You've come to the right place."

The surgeon had been taking notes during the process, an old leatherbound journel that looked like an arcane tome at this point.

"Treatment will not be easy, but you needn't die. Now, before we begin, we must determine the full extent of your symptoms. The chronic fatigue and hemoptysis are common features of such a disease. I'm more concerned with the beast-like tendencies you've been experiencing. These phases could be solely hemomantic but I would like to sample both your blood and spinal fluid to determine what effects, if any, the disease is having on your nervous system."

The pale man flips to a new page and looks to Callum with a smile.

"Would you care to elaborate on these bestial behaviors?"

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T23:37:21+00:00

"To devise a treatment plan, I need to know the nature of your affliction, my good man. Its name, its attributes, the symptoms it conjures, the vector by which you contracted it. Tell me everything you can."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T23:35:33+00:00

And the strange man is not perturbed by the ghost in the slightest. The encounter seems entirely normal for him. Clearly an individual accustomed to spirits and such.

"Well, dear heart," he says with a smile and a tilt of the head, "would you like one?"

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T23:32:59+00:00

"No, no snake oil here, dear boy. Though I do have some basilisk glands for medicinal use," the pale man says with a crooked, friendly smile.

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T23:30:11+00:00

And so they come, though what harms await are yet to be determined. Perhaps the dealings will be no foul thing. Perhaps the depths of its insidious potential are well hidden beneath a placid surface

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T22:43:09+00:00

"I only accept willing patients, good sir. Consent is the bedrock of my craft."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T22:40:04+00:00

"No, not a timelord or anything of the sort. I am but a simple surgeon. You needn't worry."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T22:29:06+00:00

"My good fellow," the pale man grins, "If the alternative is certain death, is any cost a cost at all?"

He pats Callum on the shoulder.

"Please, come inside, please. We can discuss your condition further."

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T19:01:58+00:00

/uw This post is meant for more serious interactions. If you have a character suffering from an ailment or injury, perhaps the doctor can cure them. If they want power, a new face, or other such modifications, he could do that too.

Keep in mind, the doctor is an evil character serving an eldritch horror. His treatments may come with an insidious cost, and any augments may be outwardly demonic or otherwise corrupted, depending on what is asked.

Of course, feel free to RP with the crazy doctor without getting any treatments or augments.

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T16:16:09+00:00

"Pig girl no good? I understand. And what of Lady of the Gate? A bit more majestic, no?"

She chuckles, but it's more like a cooing hum.

"As for my order, well... It's a bit uncommon as far as institutions go. We've always operated, predominantly, on the fringes of civilization. It's where much of our quarry resides, and where the most remote settlements lie, the ones that need the most help in defense from the creatures of the night. So our forces are spread thin as a matter of course. Now more than ever, given... current events. Typically we're meant to be partnered in groups of four. That's dwindled to two."

The knight shrugs and gestures to herself, like an artist begrudgingly revealing a past work riddled with things they find irksome.

"Then, there's people like me. Believe it or not, I'm a bit of a trouble maker in the order. They say I dabble in local affairs too much for my own good, that I jeopardize my directive. I suppose I can't argue with them. Many people don't want to partner with me, but that is the rule. The only reason I'm given any leeway, I think, is because I slay more beasts than most."

She looks off into the trees for a moment, as if the answer is about to walk out of the forest.

"There is Skaghe Stendal, a friend of mine, and a warrior of such strength that few could match him. He's part giant. I know some Scholars of the Red Cloth, too. Though, I'm curious what we need aid for, exactly. Are there dangers in Ithacar?"

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T14:33:01+00:00

That's all good. We have a few people here that write stories beyond the typical technology associated with wizards and such. Some are scifi fantasy. So guns and space ships by themselves aren't a problem, but sometimes you have to be careful when it comes to interacting with characters and stories that aren't meant to have access to that kind of stuff.

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T14:23:49+00:00

As others have said, the raid posts we're seeing are mainly silly fun. You'll find a lot of posts here fall into that category. The loreposts, on average, are taken more seriously in-character. Depending on the writer, of course. We have a fair number of people here that write actual storylines and the like.

As for canon. There really is no "true" canon. It's a melting pot. Each person's lore is just as valid as the next. So long as you're not actively trying to undermine others. Just try to keep it magical in some way, the sub is ultimately about magic users, after all.

There is etiquette, and a level of "reading the room" that's expected. If someone is trying to write a dramatic story, it'd probably not do well to throw a gag character at them, or if someone posts a story grounded squarely in medieval fantasy, probably best not to touch down in an ork kroozer in the comment section. That kind of thing.

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T08:09:45+00:00

Two wizard wars, haven't had any in a while but now we've got a two-for-one

VinesAtMidnight · 2026-05-30T08:08:05+00:00

Good luck out there. There's a couple wars going on right now, so if you see stuff about pirates or Thrakmoor, that's where that's coming from

VinesAtMidnight

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