Red Cloak Hospital
Business Details:
Guild: Hospitality
Red Cloak Hospital is the most well-known medical facility in Quacia. It is located in a rather beautiful looking building that is always kept to its finest quality. By extension, most of the medical equipment and procedures are of a similar high standard. The Hospital even goes so far as to possess a mental health wing.
The reason for this level of opulence is found in the kind of patrons that the Red Cloak serves. The Red Cloak is very picky with those it sees as customers, finding it perfectly acceptable to refuse service to the Heaps as they have their own medical facilities. Their reasoning for this is simply that Heaps are filthy creatures who might be carrying diseases, and that they could infect members of the ruling class if they were allowed into the hospital.
For this reason most Heaps are stopped at the door by the Hospital’s servant Ithecal. The role of these Ithecal slaves is typically to act as security on the off chance that the hospital does get attacked by rowdy denizens, as well as to help carry some of the heavier materials and equipment around the facility. Generally, they are kept out of sight on the grounds that seeing such disgusting creatures could distress patients, and possibly worsen their illnesses.
Most of these judgments on facility allowance are made on physical appearance, so those who look to be generally clean and not obviously disgusting may be able to gain entry. Of course, further obstacles are set up in subtle ways, namely that the workers check patients for signs of literacy. Those that have lower than average literacy or none at all may find themselves facing worse treatment or being kicked out altogether. For noble foreigners, these tests are often done in both Vahanic and Common, and some understandings can be made for nobles who don't speak either as long as they're able to provide proof of noble or wealthy heritage.
It does deserve to be said that those looking to get service from the mental health wing can have wildly different experiences depending on the physician responsible for treatment. Some of the doctors are more inclined to use religious options than others, and use their position to preach the Scarlet Belief, which can be extremely dangerous to patients suffering from actual mental illnesses.
Generally speaking, encounters like these are rare though, as the leading physicians do run a rather tight ship. The Hospital hires only those who have passed rigorous testing, and forces an apprenticeship of sorts before someone can officially work in the Hospital without the presence of a senior member of the staff. This 'apprenticeship' usually is a paid internship in a way as younger doctors work under the older ones to eventually take over when the elderly plan to retire. Each doctor is fully entitled to be picky about their apprentice and some have been known to have odd, but effective standards.
The reason the Red Cloak became so popular with the ruling class and has retained its status is often attributed to its founding. One of the many migrants into Quacia was a doctor. They had studied for a long time in Viden as well as Rynmere and Scalvoris. This doctor, considered to be one of the most advanced doctors to ever enter Quacia at the time, and so when they asked for a loan in order to open up a doctor's office they were quickly accepted and the business swept up by the Hospitality Guild. The name: the Red Cloak, was something of a tribute paid to the religious beliefs of the city-state in a bid to make it more popular with the people.
That bid worked spectacularly, and the Red Cloak was quickly able to gain its reputation as an elitist hospital, growing in prestige and size. It is still something of a tradition to send the most promising doctors to study at the various universities across Idalos. This helps to keep medical knowledge up to date through the entire hospital and is usually achieved by various agreements with local hospitals in the areas of the universities as well as agreements with the universities themselves.
Currently, the business is owned by a close group of three friends who act as the heads of each of the most important departments. Brim, who specializes in physical health and is the owner on paper, Igror who specializes in mental health, and Nah who keeps the business operational by handling all of the accounting and actual business aspects of the Hospital.
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NPCs
Name: Brim Barroth
Race, Gender, Birthtrial: Human, Male, Arc 672
Position: Owner, Head of Physical Health
Skills:
- Surgery – Master
- Medicine – Master
- Chemistry – Expert
- Psychology – Novice
- Business Management - Novice
Brim was a man of many talents, born to a merchant family in Rynmere. He has been known to favor or show distaste for visiting nobles of his fair city depending on their noble House, often favoring the more mentally inclined houses that aren't known to be quite as lavish. While growing up he realized that he'd never really fit into his family. He had no real taste for business or trade, not to mention he was the youngest of six sons meaning there was no way he'd become the next head of the family. So it was pointless in his mind to even try and learn.
Instead, he dedicated himself to what interested him the most; the study of the human body. For a long time, his experiments were done in secret as a majority of them required the total destruction of human cadavers so they could be better examined. This eventually led him to embrace Necromancy. The story of his initiation is a rather amusing tale, one that the man laughs at quite openly. He had decided that he was going to run away, and had made it to one of the very small villages of Rynmere where he had discovered a graveyard. Having spent so much time around corpses and raiding graveyards he found them to be nostalgically comforting, and decided to stay there for the night.
His sleep was interrupted when a Necromancer began digging up a corpse near him. The panicked Necromancer nearly slew the man when he realized he was discovered, but Brim bought his freedom when he demonstrated his understanding of the human body. Impressed with his knowledge, and seeking to learn more about such functions for himself, the Necromancer exchanged a promise to initiate him in return for further anatomical information. This was promptly accepted by Brim. For all the terrible reputation that a lot of Necromancers get, Brim really doesn't look the part as he's jovial and does his best to keep all of those under his care alive.
For the life of him, he can't understand Igror's practice. He understands mental health about as well as he understands Immortals. He understands the importance and has tried to learn, but he doesn't understand how to say the right things to people. He's not callous by any means, but when he tries to imitate Igror he just ends up tripping all over his words and thoughts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Igror Wi
Race, Gender, Birthtrial: Human, Male, Arc 658
Position: Co-Owner, Head of Metal Health
Skills:
- Psychology - Master
- Medicine - Expert
- Chemistry - Expert
- Surgery - Competent
- Business Mng - Novice
Igror, the eldest of the trio, trained in medicine for longer than Nah has even been alive, starting his journey when he was a little under 10 arcs of age. Of course, back then it was little more than helping his mother in a very small medicinal shop in a city that’s name has long since been scrubbed from his mind by age.
He took an interest in all the things his mother did to create medicine, and when he was old enough he got a job at the local clinic. Unfortunately, that clinic was eventually shut down due to the malpractice of the doctor who owned the place, and with no one willing to step up and take the position it was promptly shut down. Not much later, his mother died, and, being only around 16 arcs of age, he sold everything they'd owned, got some equipment, and started to travel.
In every town he stopped at he'd learn as much as he could, getting money for necessities by apprenticing under every doctor who would take such a ratty and uneducated looking assistant. Those who did were pleasantly surprised to find the man competent enough to do basic tasks and growing better by the trial. Of course, Igror found that there was something missing as he continued to wander the world, something more than he wanted to do. That's when he wandered his way into Quacia, looking for a place to stay and work. The current Head of Mental Health snapped him up in a heartbeat, and Igror finally found the place he belonged.
He took instantly to the arts of psychology, and when it was time to pass the torch he became the new Head of Mental Health. It didn't take him long to get a nice place of living, and he decided he never wanted to leave. He acts a little odd around the Ithecal slaves, possibly because where he grew up slavery was highly illegal and punishable by extreme laws. He has been friends with the other Heads of staff ever since they became attained their positions, his age allowing him to have watched both Nah and Brim throughout their careers at the Hospital. His skill set allows him to take over for Brim in case of absence, however, the same cannot be said in reverse, so considering his age, Igror is currently on the hunt for those who could potentially replace him.
He has a couple different apprentice because he wants to find the perfect one. Igror is a very low level Empath, though he doesn't use the ability often. His understanding of psychology makes it a moot point, and it's uncertain how exactly he came to acquire the ability. He has no real drive to initiate anyone unless discovered and asked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Nah Yao
Race, Gender, Birthtrial: Human, Female, Arc 681
Position: Co-Owner Head of Secretary, Accounting, and Nursing
Skills:
- Business Mng – Master
- Mathematics - Expert
- Caregiving - Expert
- Negotiation - Novice
- Discipline - Novice
Nah is a powerful woman, often known as the true “owner” of the Red Cloak. While both Igror and Brim are important to the daily function of the facilities, there are other doctors who can deal with them. The functions of Nah, however, are absolutely vital. Nah tends to balance far more responsibilities than the other two head positions with relative ease. She handles the front desk with her one assistant, she takes care of the banking issues not to mention deals with the Guild, and she has the misfortune of being the head nurse.
All new nurses are first sent through her rigorous training course. Most are either fired before they actually get to start working, or they fail somewhere along the way, not providing the aids she finds as proper. So far, the number of nurses working is at least a third as many doctors in total, however, what they lack in numbers they make up for in skill. Those that survive Nah take their jobs very seriously, and the woman takes great pride in those that do, considering them to be like her own children.
Of course, no nurses could ever hope to stand up to the raw power of Nah. Everything considered, it's fitting she hold the titles that she does. Even if she doesn't get half as much praise as she deserves, she understands the importance of the underestimated nurses in any medical facility, and does what she can to offer as much aid to her friends as possible. The no-nonsense Nah is vitally important to keeping the facility running and in prime condition. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mercurious
Race, Gender, Birthtrial: Ithecal, Male, Unknown
Position: Slave Guard
Skills:- Bludgeon - Expert
- Intimidation - Expert
- Unarmed - Expert
- Strength - Competent
- Stealth - Novice
Mercurious was purchased by Igror not long after being born for the sole purpose of one trial growing up to protect the Red Cloak. Because of Igror's position as a mental health specialist, he was the perfect person to raise Mercurious on the ideals of honor and strength. Igror, to his credit, raised the beast with kindness, perhaps because the man grew up in a place where having a slave wasn't considered normal. Alternatively, perhaps that kindness was just a form of conditioning.
One thing is for certain though, the tactic was effective, and Mercurious grew up knowing that he was lucky and he should be grateful. He ate good food, was treated with some semblance of respect, and was groomed to be able to defend the Red Cloak even if it cost him his life. His nature as a hulking, terrifying beast does wonders to keep Heaps away from the Red Cloak, so he is often the first blockade one will face when trying to get into the Hospital.
He isn't treated like a human being, but he's treated far more like a pet than other members of his race, and that's enough to win some degree of comfort. He is often treated rather respectfully by other Ithecal belonging to the Red Cloak, almost like a leader, and when others are being difficult he is usually the first to be sent in to straighten out the situation. Especially when it means forcing other slaves back into line. He has a deep respect for the nobility that visit and an even deeper respect for those who are chosen to be members of the hospital’s staff.