Dragonhealing - General RP Information
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The following information is to give the player topics to roleplay about, but not the answers and cures. It is more important for dragonhealers to be able to accurately roleplay healing a dragon than it is for them to know every inch of a dragon's skeletal system. This is only information and hints and tips for roleplaying, broken down to make it easier to determine what, in general, a dragonhealer would know at each stage in their career. Each level of dragonhealing comes with limitations and pitfalls and while this guide is very generalised, it is understood that at each stage a dragonhealer would know all the practical information required for their level of expertise.
DRAGONS
All dragonhealers must be familiar with the basics of dragon mentality and physiology.
Novice
For people who have not lived in a Weyr before, a lot of time is also spent learning about riders and how things really work in a Weyr. A non-rider will probably be prone to pestering riders about their dragons.
General dragon information: The various colours of dragons: the females, green and gold, and the males, blue, brown, and bronze. Which produce eggs, size differences, duties in Threadfall.
Physical structure and anatomy: Dragons have no ears, their blood is called ichor, what their eye colours mean, and their bones are proportionately lighter than a human's.
Injuries: Basic Threadfall injuries, common non-Fall maladies (constipation, dry hide). Handling hard-to-reach injuries: mid-wing injuries, back injuries and similar ones.
Trainee
The time spent with dragons is now understanding how the muscles in a dragon's wing helps it fly, the way the dragon moves its center of gravity in landing and other basic mechanics of dragonkind.
Physical structure and anatomy: Skeletal and muscle systems, basic knowledge of where the internal organs are located (and how many of each there are) as well as how dragons visualise and go between.
Injuries: The more rare injuries: betweening into objects, mid-air collisions. Also learning how to handle the rider of an injured dragon.
Breeding and Eggs: Only a bronze/gold mating produces a gold egg, longer flights mean more eggs, eggs that don't hatch are carted off between by the Weyrleader.
Capable
When a dragonhealer has reached the rank of Capable, they are supposed to know everything. Obviously this is impossible, but they should at least try.
HEALING
All dragonhealers must understand the basics of both human healing and animal healing. As dragons are animals with nearly human brains, the skills for working with both are a necessity.
When preparing to heal a dragon, dragonhealers must always remember to wash their arms (up to the elbows) with a redwort solution for sterilisation. If the dragonhealer will be using numbweed, a light coating of oil is needed to prevent their own skin from being numbed.
Dragonhealers must always ask permission OOCly before attempting to heal a rider's dragon. ICly there's a little bit more leeway; however, if there's time (not a life-threatening-if-not-immediately-treated situation) and opportunity (the rider's conscious and coherent enough), it's considered good form to make certain the rider is comfortable with the particular dragonhealer who is healing their dragon. Riders can be a picky bunch.
Novice
As healing is a complex series of skills, Novices tend to learn most by reading Healer and Beasthealer scrolls and observing more advanced healers. All healing must be done with a Capable nearby.
First Aid: Cleaning out light Threadscores, applying numbweed, being an extra pair of hands, holding needles, jars of numbweed, redwort or water, cleaning a surgery area of ichor or even holding steady whatever's being worked on.
Techniques: Learning the basics about sterilisation, bandaging, icing, splinting, stitching, injecting and soothing.
Infirmary: Learning where everything is located: the redwort and numbweed stores, the needlethorn, and the stored thread for sewing.
Trainee
Any healing that a Novice must do with observation a Trainee is permitted to do on their own. Beyond that they must work with a Capable.
First Aid: Stitching up mild Threadscores, bandaging wounds, splinting broken bones, icing bruises, injecting fluids and soothing dragons (or their riders).
Techniques: Learning advanced stitching and splinting, as well as how to work with scored wings. Sterilising traumas for Capables. Also determining when the situation is hopeless.
Infirmary: Learning where all the strong medicine is located. Note: at this point, a Trainee has access to all herbs aside from fellis.
Capable
While a Capable technically knows how to heal any injury possible, they will have areas of expertise and may be better at one area than another.
THREADFALL
Before Fall, everyone helps set up the needed supplies and makes certain the infirmary is cleaned and ready for onslaught.
During Fall, anyone who isn't on ground crew or fighting Thread stays at the Weyr and waits for injuries.
After Fall is when most of the injured dragons arrive.
Novice: Threadfall is one of the busiest times for a dragonhealer, and Novices have a very hectic job. They are glorified 'gofers', trusted to fetch the right materials in a timely fashion, as well as help out with minor injuries. From slathering numbweed to helping hold flesh as someone stitches, the opportunities to learn abound.
Trainee: Trainees can handle any basic Threadfall injury, provided the limbs are still attached and ichor isn't gushing out. Some Trainees are assigned to wings, and their priority will be to check the dragons of that wing first, handling all injuries there before moving on to other dragons.
Capable: At this point, a dragonhealer knows how to run the 'pit crew' for Threadfall. They should know which healers have which skills, and be able to send out the right person for the job. Most Capables are assigned to wings, and their priority will be to check the dragons of that wing first, handling all injuries there before moving on to other dragons. The exception to this is if there are too many major injuries in another wing, at which point the Capable will turn their wing duties over to the most experienced Trainee.
DUTIES
Most dragonhealers have other duties, be they resident, crafter or rider. Once a resident has reached Trainee status, they can devote the majority of their time to dragonhealing, but are still expected to help out in general Weyr life. Every dragonhealer is able to perform all of the duties, even if their other duties do not permit them to actually perform all in a given day. Note: everyone has to help prepare numbweed.
Novice
As Novices, dragonhealers will spend only a few hours a day at most on dragonhealing tasks. They'll spend part of that learning, generally, but they also begin to get a taste for the duties a dragonhealer has. General duties include:
Linens: Folding, delivering to and returning from the laundry, storing properly.
Cleaning: Sweeping and mopping the infirmary floor, mucking up after injured dragons.
Delivery: Delivering messages and medicine to injured dragons who aren't in the infirmary.
Preparation: Filling pots of oil, numbweed and redwort for the riders of injured dragons, as well as in preparation for Threadfall (including sterilisation of equipment).
Infirmary Shifts: With a Trainee or Capable in attendance, take a short shift (an hour or so) in the infirmary, ready to handle any problems that arise.
Butchering: For injured dragons whose riders are infirm or also injured, dragonhealers provide the dragons with food, usually themselves butchering the animal and chopping up the meat.
Trainee:
While the Novices do the grunt work, the Trainees perform day-to-day upkeep on the infirmary and the current patients.
Inventory: Helping keep track of stores, doing inventory and otherwise making note of what needs to get done.
Pharmacy: This usually involves pulling a shift wherein the Trainee sits outside the pharmacy and keeps track of who takes out which herbs, doles out medicine for delivery or use in non-emergency situations.
Preparation: Pre-rolling bandages, sterilising equipment, repairing/sharpening equipment.
Infirmary Shifts: With a Capable in attendance, take a mid-length shift (three to six hours) in the infirmary, ready to handle any problems that arise.
Capable
Most of the time, the duty of a Capable is to supervise everyone else. When doing infirmary shifts (eight to twelve hours), a wise Capable works with the Novices and Trainees, making the work go faster for everyone, and may provide impromptu lessons. Capables are expected to help train Novices and Trainees, through such lessons and while treating injuries after Fall.
WING ASSIGNMENTS
To ease some of the confusion of which dragonhealer should care for which dragon, the majority of Capable and many Trainee dragonhealers are assigned to a wing. This assignment is meant to provide focus during the stress surrounding a Fall. A dragonhealer assigned to a wing will work on the dragons under their charge first, unless a more severe injury takes priority.
The most experienced (or best suited) Capable assigned to a wing is appointed as the Head dragonhealer for the wing. The Head has the duty of assigning the available dragonhealers of that wing, based on ability and expertise, and ensuring that every dragon in their wing is tended. The Head reports on the wing injuries to both the Senior dragonhealer as well as the wing's leader (if the Head is either the Senior dragonhealer or the Wingleader, then they report to the Weyrleaders). More often than not there is only one Capable assigned to a wing, and they tend to be drawn out of the wing roster. The exception is the queens wing, whose riders may find themselves Head of any wing. It is highly preferable not to have the Wingleader or Wingseconds serve as Head dragonhealer for their own wing, as they have a lot to deal with already. Still, it's better to have the Capable Wingleader do the job than a green Novice.
Trainees who are fairly competent with the more common Threadfall injuries are also assigned to wings. The Trainees must prove their abilities under stress and show that they're capable of treating at least some injuries on their own. They report on the injuries they handle to their wing's Head dragonhealer (if the Head is an NPC then report to the Senior).
Novices are never assigned to wings, and help out anyone who needs assistance.
All wing assignments are done on a need basis, though an attempt is made to honour any requests. Traditionally, riders are assigned to their own wing, though if one wing has an over-abundance of Capables, one may be lent out to Head another wing.
Reports should be sent via +mail, and should include the date, wing name, and the names of dragons tended. A concise summary of each dragon, describing the injury and treatment is preferable. Capables and Trainees should note anyone who assisted them in the treatments and their dragonhealer rank. It's all right to have a non-dragonhealer hold up a wing, but remember to give credit where it's due.
COMMON MALADIES
The following are some of the more common complaints and injuries of dragons and the very basics in how to treat them.
Constipation: This is one of the most frequent problems encountered by weyrlings. It arises from the weyrling's negligence in allowing the dragonet to overeat. Becoming constipated, the tail thickens and a purge is necessary.
Overstressing: While this is found mostly among weyrling dragons, especially where growing muscles and increasing activities lead to overenthusiasm, it is also seen when a dragon has undergone extreme stress, such as heavy winds in Threadfall or trying a little too hard in a mating flight. It's usually obvious a dragon has overstressed muscles, because a wing or limb is favoured and used gingerly.
Stomach Complaints: As weyrlings, dragonets might frequently complain of a 'bad stomach'. There are usually two possibilities for this, depending on the stage of training; simple overeating, or bad firestone. Even older dragons occasionally experience bad firestone; it's relieved only after the ash has been expelled.
Talon Loss: Frequently a weyrling just learning to fly or hunt will fail to take off or land properly, though older dragons have been known to botch landings as well. This is not a serious injury and will heal on its own in four to eight sevendays. Occasionally a talon may not grow back if the talon bed is sufficiently damaged, though that will not impair the dragon in any way, as they will quickly learn to compensate for the missing talon.
Cracked Talons: When a talon only cracks and does not completely break, it can be an annoyance. While it does no harm to leave alone, many riders prefer to apply a gentle lacquer to the talon, sealing it into place (this is the same lacquer used on cracked runner hooves). If the crack is severe, it may be better to simply break the talon off the rest of the way and allow it to grow back naturally.
Tongue Bites: More often than not this happens to weyrling dragons when they are learning to chew firestone. In adults, it tends to occur when they're distracted and chewing firestone. In both cases, the injuries are rarely severe enough to ground a dragon, and the pain tends to remind the dragon to pay attention. The tongue will stop 'feeling funny' in two to three days.
Threadscore: Lacerations similar to burns in nature, minor Threadscores can be treated by the rider with water and redwort for cleansing and numbweed to help the pain; they heal best if left open to the air. Major Threadscores may require stitching.
Wing Tears: These -- rips to the membrane of the wing itself, sometimes crossing wing bones or batten cartilages -- can be caused by Threadscore as well as strain to the wing's membrane itself; small tears can heal on their own, while others need a dragonhealer's attention for stitching and further care.
