Worshippers, Clergy, Temples | Dogma | Appearance | Relationships & History | Related Images
Hospitalar is a reclusive demi-deity who is the god of the sick, injured, ill, and the suffering. He offers them aid. Physical, direct, true, medical and psychiatric aid. Hospitalar does not care for worship, does not offer plattitudes, philsophies, or new points of view. He does not seek to show others how to live with their pain. He cures it.
Being within Hospitalar's presence is commonly stated to be be traumatic. His voice is rasping and artifical, mechanical rumbling mixed with slow utterences and tactless honesty. He will never lie. He will never spare a single feeling. Yet, he understands. The pain of a long lost limb. The burning of failing lungs. The soul-deep dispair of loosing a loved one to violence. Hospitalar knows all pains with intimacy and loathing.
All who come to him must brave his presence, but will find a sympathetic ear within the nightmear. He will do that which mortal doctors dare not to do simply because he knows. Because he once suffered every malady imaginable. Those who can brave his presence leave with a deep love for the Old Doctor. Those who'se spirits cannot endure in his presence are left to the minstrations of his many nurces and apprentices.
Hospitalar is a god second, and a doctor first. All divine duities are secondary in his eyes. It is often said he may have forgotten his divinity long ago in favor of cutting out the toumors no one else can reach. Hospitalar is a seemingly morose entity, often lamenting the finite nature of the world as a whole. He reguarly mentions having outlived many species, claiming he cannot bare to become attached to mortal affairs after outliving so many species and civilizations. This morrose nature is part of the terror most experiance when dealing with Hospitalar directly, for he often implies that at in some future age, even gods will die.
"I have cured a thousand dreadful things, as willingly as one would kill a fly, and nothing grieves me heartily indeed but that I cannot cure ten thousand more. By medicine life may be prolonged, yet death will seize the doctor too. Everafter, the patient must minister to himself."
- Hospitalar, atributed
Worshippers, Clergy, Temples
While Hospitalar does not request worship all efforts spent healing one's self or others constitute a form of worship for the divine. This allows Hospitalar to sustian himself even with a total lack of prayers in his name and souls directed to his divine realm. Despite this, Hospitalar has a following of several million individuals at any given time, most of whom are medical professionals who devoted themselves to Hospitalar after learning of his existance.
These people call themsleves "Hospitalars", and have created a church of sorts. The Order of Hospitalars is not authorized by Hospitalar himself, nor does he support it in any way he wouldn't support an ordinary place of healing. Save of course that he will communicate with members of the Order of Hospitlars to make requests. Hospitalar never makes demands of his church, nor does he issue orders. If he wishes something done and cannot or will not do it on his own, he will politly and humbly request assistance from the Order of Hospitalars.
For this purpose, the Order has three branches known as Circles:
- The Circle of Paramedics: A group of individuals who are extensivly trained in field medicine, able to take medical assistance to those in need no matter their location, no matter the cost.
- The Circle of Healers: The largest of the Order's Groups, consisting of healers of all sorts who follow Hospitalar's medical teachines and practices to provide superior care to all.
- The Circle of Blades: A group of individuals practicing preventative medicine on behalf of the Old Doctor, when and where it is needed, not meerly requested. This often takes the form of slaying certain plague and disease spreading monsters, as well as educating communities on preventative care.
The Order of Hospitlars is primarily an underground organization due to the historic actions of their more zelitious members, as well as being seen as a fleshcrafter cult by many governments. Said misconceptions continue to fade as the world's scientiic and arcane knolage slowly catch up to Hospitalar's teachings, but there is little to be done to repair the Order's reputation in some areas given the afformentioned action of extreemists.
The Order operates in cells, with random Doctor's Offices, healing huts, and hedgemages acting as eyes and ears. These can call uppon the Order's members within their area's specific cell for assistance, and the cell in turn can contact a regional base of operations should there be a need for large scale work. The goal of the Order is not to prostaltize, sermonize, nor epistomolize. They exist to teach the practical skills they have learned, heal the sick and injured, and keep safe the general health of their communities.
Concequently, the Order recruits in much the same fashion as a cult or spy agency. Exceptionaly skilled or gifted healers are eventualy contacted by a member of the Circle of Healers and after a discussion of general philisophy, they are either left to their own devices none the wiser, or a meeting with Hospitalar himself is arranged. Durring this meeting, no matter how the divine is percieved by the recruit, should Hospitalar praise their work, or look on them with skill, the Order will pitishion them to join.
All new members of the Order are trained in the recognition and treatment of all known disease, injuries, and conditions; senior brothers have had prepared detailed programmed illusions to show beings in various stages of harm. A brother who has been shown these could, for instance, recognize a rot grubs infistation at a glance and treat it successfuly with a standard healer's kit as well as their utility knife.
Vestments
Members of the Order typicaly do not wear uniforms. Rather each individual dresses as expected for a healer of their type and culture. When the Order needs to operate openly and in large numbers, all agents will don a simple uniform consisting of a set of thick white robes which serve to conceal one's identity fully (it is typicaly impossible to determine one's species, sex, and general build due to the robes), along with silver masks which are enchanted to disguise one's voice (Others wearing the masks do not hear the distorted voices). The robes bare Hospitlar's sigil in a simplified form as an embroidered patern on their back, and a second smaller device over the left breast. The masks are simple silver affairs, and styled in a manner that is claimed to be a simplified depiction of Hospitalar's face. Their most notable feature is a red stone (or piece of glass) embedded within the mask which glows, waxing and waning as the mask's wearer speaks.
The masks and robes often trick people into believing all members of the Order are Constructi. This misconception is solidified by more extreem members of the Order undergoing surgeries to replace bodyparts with construct equivilents. This is alegedly intended to both prevent them from suffering certian injuries, and make certain work easier (for example by intigrating a scaple into a fingertip). Howeaver it has been proven that many preform these augmentations simply to appear more like their chosen divine.
Some of the Order have replaced everything save their brains with augmentations. These members typicaly dwell within the Order's regional bases, and wear their robes as their general maner of dress. These individuals are often refered to as "The Dedicated" as their enhanced forms come with not only greater capabilities, but longer lifepsans. The Dedicated will serve their lord for centuries, and are typicaly the bulk of members who push to return to a more open chruch sturcture.
Hierarchy
The Order has a simple hiarchy. Anyone who is a part of the Order in any way, down to the most humble of janitors and instriument cleaners is a Brother (reguardless of their sex and gender). Just above Brothers are medical personell in training who called Residents and serve primarily as assistants for Nurses. Nurses are fully trained members of the Circle of Healing, and may choose to train for entry into the one of the circles.
The Circle of Healers refers to their fuly trained members as Doctors. Doctors are individuals with at least one specialty form of treatment, and primarily treat people within their area(s) of focus. The Circle of Paramedics use the tile Medic for their ultimant rank, and these individuals are composed of their most skilled general healers who are fully capable of making use of search and rescue, infiltration, and small unit combat tatics to reach their pacients wherever they may be. The Circle of Clerics use the title Chaplin for their members, each of whom is a trained solgier specializing in combatting all creatures, organizations, and monsters which spread disiease and illness of any sort, be they on the land, sea, or air.
The greatest rank within the Order is Operating Room Nurse, who are individuals trained to assist Hospitalar himself in his personal operating theater. They, being those who know their divine personaly and interact on a daily basis (even living with him in some circumstnaces), serve as the primary moulthpiece for Hospitalar to the Order. An Operating Room Nure can be drawn from any of the Circles, or directly appointed from anyone (be they a member of the Circle or not). Reguardless of their orgins, OR Nurses are all chosen by Hospitalar himself for reasons which remain his own.
Temples
The Order's equivilent to temples are "Regional Bases", which are located well out of the way of civilization, and consist of hidden and fortified strongholds. They are designed to be defencible, to protect the Order's Brothers as well as any pacients being treated within. Each is a fully equipped hospital as well as a fortress, and contains living quarters for the Order's members, guests, and long term pacients. Most posess extensive medical libraries, and barrax for the Order's Paramedics and Clerics. Those within areas with large populations of Constructi will also have a machineshop and mechanics for providing "medical" assistance to the machine-people.
The only true temple of Hospitalar is the Operating Theater, which exists within Hospitalar's divine realm. It is a great, laberenthine, somewhat broken down hospital, easily able to sustain hundreds of thousands of pacients. Its halls are largly barren, and the typical staff (mortal and celestial) could treat but a few hundred with their numbers. The Theater has a distint feeling of poverty, rot, and decay, yet the working areas are clean, hygenic, and filled with people doing their best.
The Theater is accessed through portals opened by Hospitalar. Any Nurse of the Order can request a portal by enscribing any doorway with the Sigil of Hospitalar (or at least a crude aproximation of it). A pre-marked doorway can be simply touched by a Nurse instead. The portal will only be opened if Hospitalar wishes to respond to the call. He usualy will, but often refuses admission of new pacients due to time cosntraints, staffing shortages, and his general belief that his followers are skilled healers in their own right and can do what is needed if they only believe in themselves as much as they believe in him.
Rituals
The Order of Hospitalars have many rituals, all of which are preformed while working on a pacient. A brief list of their practices follows:
- Thourogh hand washing...
- before touching the patient.
- prior to performing clean/aseptic procedure.
- after any bodily fluid exposure risk.
- after touching the patient.
- after touching the patient’s surroundings.
- All pacients are to be insped uppon contact for...
- diarrhea, or vomiting.
- unexplained feaver.
- basic vital signs.
- obvious injuries.
- paracitic infections.
- Through cleaning of all operating enviornments including...
- changing bed linins imeadiently after a pacient leaves the bed.
- sterilizing all contact surfices (tables, railings, handles, etc...).
- washing of floors, walls, and cielings.
- regular inspections for mold, mildue, and damp.
- sterilize all surgical instriments before and after use via boiling in saline solution.
- All medical waste is to be diposed of in specialized metal containers, and kept for no more than 12 hours befor ebeing disposed of in a funice capable of reaching at least 1200ºC which must have an after burner chamber to ensure complete combustion of all waste gasses in addition to all materials within the primary combustion chamber.
The order's rituals inevetably become standard practice for healers at one point or another. All of which are discounted as superstishion before the world at large catches up with the advanced Medical Knolage Hospitalar provides his followers. The Order has no unique purly mystical rituals, as Hospitlar does not care for such things, nor has time to enguage in "Shallow and pedantic exercises in pretenciousness."
Orders
The Order is Hospitlar's only formalized group. Howeaver, many healers revear him without being a part of the Order at all. Hospitalar is known to create Clerics independent of the Order from time to time, as well as grant seemingly random people healing powers in times of great need. Howeaver, as Hospitalr appears to believe his time will end, he seeks to teach his followers through the Order in mundaine yet advanced and effective healing techniques.
He has attempted to start a medical college several times, only for other divines to interfeer in his plans, assuming its an attempt to operate more openly. This is a reasonable fear given Hospitalr's extreem age, atypical means of gaining power, and the nature of his mantle menaing most if not all mortals would worship him at least to a little extent should he openly reveal himself. In such condtions, Hospitlar could become a Major Deity in an extreemly short piriod. Thus, his efforts to be more than he is are swiftly curtailed by other agents.
Dogma
The whole of the Order's beliefs are summerized by the Oath of Hospitalars.
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; and thus I shall do as my patient requests.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick. I will cover the expences my patients cannot, in so far as they do not inhibit me ability to care for those in need through my practice.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will destroy the sources of disease whenever possible, for the extinction of pathogens is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the honor of healing those who seek my help.
Appearance
Hospitalar posesses the form of a hunched, arachnid (or perhapse insectoid) creature, aproximently 3 meters in height, and two in width. His limbs are blades, reminessent of a scalple in shape and function. He appears to be in all ways, a machine, save that if injured, he bleeds. Hospitalar is always wrapped within an old white tarp, ragged on the edges, worn through in places, and bearing the embroidered remnents of his sigil in a once bright now dull red.
If he has a face, it lies behind an silver mask matching those worn by his followers.
Relationships & History
Hospitlar is an ancient deity claiming to have existed since "the begining". He refuses to speak of Zo's most ancient days, save for longing laiden lamentations for a people once under his protection which can escape his lips in moments of dispair. He is known to have outlived many seperate "evolutionary liniages", as he puts it, meaning he has seen civilization rise and fall with new intelegent life repeatedly, and from his prespective, frequently. He is a solitary god, caring only for mortals in the hopes of extending their lifespans, individualy and as a species.
The Order's history is one of glory and shame. Once beloved and seen as a nutural power seekingly only to cure, it's reputation was plunged into the umberal depths durring the 4th Gnoll War, when many members of the order elected to take a millitary stance and purge all combatants reguardless of their side in an attempt to put an end to the general suffering. Their efforts culminated in the raising of the orgional Guild of Engineers capitol city, as it had been targeted by biological agents dirived by Wood Elven archmages and thus become a "pandemic seedling". Unable to identify, treat, or even comprehend the nature of this arcane pathogen, an order was given by the Order's Regional Adminsitrator (a now retired rank) to burn the city and all within it, Brothers included.
Despite the order being given by a non-extreemist branch of the Order, due to the actions of the afformentioned extreemists the world's millitaries believed the Order to have unleashed the weapon to have an excuse to destroy the city, rather than having made a hard choice to minimize the loss of life when the plague inevetably spread across Eyom.
The resulting purges, hunts, and legal attacks then pushed the Order underground. Hospitalar himself, howeaver, remains free to operate in the open should he choose as none with power blamed the divine for the actions of his followers. Many people, howeaver, insist Hospitlar himself is at fault for the fire. If not by orderingit, than by not training his followers to be better people.
Hospitlar has never commented on the fire, other than to say, "One must not weep when choosing the lesser."
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