Koramm Stonehoof

So, hey, you may have noticed that there hasn’t been much content with Koramm here in... quite a while. Well, there is a bit of a reason for that.

“I need to be examined by a doctor, any doctor! Magical or not, I don’t care!”

Koramm looked up from where he sat, tired and exhausted after a long day of treating the infirm. The patients seemed never-ending, from simple ailments to those afflicted with the strange disease going around due to the druids. The girl standing in front of him now was no more than a teenager. She looked healthy enough, although her hands were jittery as she spoke, and the skin on her arms had been rubbed raw.

Seeing the tauren looking up, she thrust her arm towards him. “I’m hot and cold at the same time. I thought it was nothing until my grand aunt pointed out that it started when the druids began to stir up trouble! Now she said it might be a sign of blight infestation!”

The girl looked frantic and began to drag her fingers through her hair. “I thought that couldn’t be true, but this morning my head started to pulse and I started to hear whispering. Is it the blight? Am I going insane? Will I become one of those plant ghouls?”

Koramm blinked in confusion before holding and open hand out in front of him, inviting her closer. His voice was soft and gentle, though the Thalassian was nowhere near perfect. “Calm, young one, calm. I can guarantee you that this isn’t the blight, and that you are not going insane. Just take a few deep breaths, and I’ll do my best to help you.”

The tauren watched as the girl took a deep breath, her eyes still wide and a little doubtful. “Now, what happened to your arms here?”

As the words left his mouth, the girl thrust her arm forward again, scratching it vigorously. “See, see? There’s a rash and it itches so bad that it feels like there’s bugs under my skin! Wait. What if there are bugs under my skin!?”

Koramm’s eyes widened as the girl yanked her arm back and began scratching at it once more. As far as he could tell, there was no rash present, just skin rubbed raw from the constant scratching. “Let me take one more look at your arm.”

It took a few moment for the girl to stop scratching and hand the tauren her arm. When she did, he took it in one hand and placed the other over top of the raw skin, calling the elements to hear him. He watched as her eyes widened as the cooling sensation of water passed between his palm and her arm, easing the itchiness and pain.

“This should help a little, I hope.” He smiled down at her, not letting her arm go. “I can promise you that you do not have bugs crawling under your skin, young one. Now, can you tell me if you have experienced any of these feelings in the past? The hot and cold flashes, the head pain, the feeling of a rash or pain across your skin, have you had any of those symptoms before, or is this the first time?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s why I think it’s to do with those awful druids. They’re trying to do something to us! My aunt says they have weird magic that can turn people into bugs or something. I don’t want to be a bug!”

Koramm shook his head, his eyes hardening slightly as he continued to provide relief to the child’s battered arm, hoping that the sensations would help keep her calm. “It seems your aunt has been telling you many things, young one. I hope I am not intruding, but may I ask what else your aunt has told you about these druids?”

The response came far faster than the shaman expected, her voice eager. “She says that they have awful wrong nature magic, and they want our town so they make people go crazy or turn them into bugs to make more people crazy. And they control plants that talk to you and make you itch and then you die! And she says they’re going to come for us until there’s no one left!”

With a strangled screech, the girl took her free hand and began tugging on her hair. Without thinking, Koramm acted on instinct, pulling the young elf into a tight hug against his chest, rubbing her back gently. “I am sorry I asked, young one. Calm, these druids will not be hurting you, and I will make sure of that.”

Taking deep breaths to control his own rising anger, the tauren continued to rub the girls’ back, calming her until she began clinging to him. “When we are done here, I think it may be a good idea for me to come pay a house call, so that I may speak with your aunt. I just have a few more questions, if you are up to them. The whispering you have been hearing, does it only happen when your head pounds, or does it happen at other times? And, are you alone, or are there others around?”

The response was spoken into his chest. “It’s when it’s quiet and there’s no one else around, so no one else ever hears it.”

“Can you make out any words in the whispers, or it is like somebody is just whispering nearby?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe it sounds like buzzing. I don’t know what they want. I don’t want the druids to get me. Please, you have to help me. Make it go away!”

Koramm nodded solemnly, continuing to hug the girl for a few more minutes. Eventually, though, they separated, and he set her at an arm’s length. “I will do everything in my power to help you, and you’ll be happy to know that despite what your aunt has been telling you, nothing you have has been caused by the druids.”

The tauren turned, grabbing a mortar and pestle from the table beside him, and several herbs from a pouch on his side. Grinding them together, occasionally reaching for another ingredient, he eventually created a thick paste, which he scooped into a small bottle and fitted with a stopper. “While I’m not completely positive, I’m pretty sure that you have an anxiety condition of some form, and all the stress that the druids have been causing has been setting it off. Your aunt, meanwhile, has been fabricating stories of what the druids are doing and exaggerating their powers, and her stories have been manifesting in your symptoms.”

He turned back to the elf, setting a hand once more on her shoulder. “You’re going to be absolutely fine, but we do need to get you on the road to recovery. First, you’re going to need to put this paste on your arms each night. It will help to stave off any infection, relieve any itching you might experience, and will help the skin heal itself. Just spread a thin layer on across all the affected skin, and wrap your arms up in some loose coverings twice a day. I recommend in the morning and before bed. If the itching starts to return in the afternoon, feel free to reapply then as well.”

The tauren stood, keeping his hand in contact with the girl. “Your hot and cold flashes could be caused by the anxiety, but you might just also be getting a general cold, so I’ll leave you with some herbs that any local herbalist should be able to provide if you run out. As for the buzzing, that could be the anxiety, or early signs of an inner ear problem. We won’t really be able to determine the cause until we sort out the anxiety, unfortunately.”

He smiled down at the girl. “Alright, my shift here is finished, so, if you would lead the way, I will come home, and I can help explain to your aunt and parents what’s going on, and give your aunt a talking to in regards to her stories, so that she doesn’t make your anxiety worse. And, when I’m finished here, I’ll be sending a letter to a colleague of mine who specializes in psychology, as he might know better than I what would be an effective treatment for your anxiety going forward.”