Welcome to a new feature of the blog: Encyclopaedia Azaria! Each edition has Eliza and her friends tell you something about the vast and ancient kingdom of Azaria...
[transcript]
Eliza: Hi everyone, Eliza here, ready to give you the low-down on my home, Azaria! I'm going to tell you about various aspects of Azarian culture, history, and just plain interesting facts.
Today's topic is the iasometer!
The iasometer was named after its inventor, Jason Ezengarde. He was a healer who wanted to devise a way that pulse, blood pressure and temperature could be measured accurately. He did a lot of experiments and eventually found a mechanism where the force of a pin hitting a brass plate could be translated into a pressure reading. The rate at which the pin hit the plate was the pulse. Along the way he also stumbled across a way to measure temperature via a special material that was sensitive to heat.
It was a pretty bulky thing at first, about the size of a shoebox, but various refinements made it into the pocket-watch size we're familiar with today. As specialised instruments, though, they're extremely expensive. Only two healer's guilds in Azaria know how to make them. In my case, Father's iasometer was awarded to him for finishing top of his class at University in Lanaran. I always loved seeing him use it as a child, and made him teach me how to use it. It's been my little toy since I was 14 and started to help in his clinics.
Though of course he'll probably kill me if he founds out I accidentally stole it...
What, you don't believe such a thing should work? Well let's look at the evidence, shall we?
The iasometer in action...(chapter seven, The Binding)
“Ryan?” No response.
Frowning, I pressed my knuckle against his breastbone, the way Father did when
he assessed someone unconscious. Ryan groaned, but didn’t waken. Sighing, I
laid him onto his side, so his back faced me. A dark patch of blood stained his
coat on the left side. I frowned. Whatever missile had hit him had fallen out. That would make identifying the toxin more difficult. No simple projectile
would have turned him so stuperous so quickly.
I reached for his
buttons, unable to stop my wry smile, but as my fingers neared I hesitated. I
needed to see the wound, but that meant I’d have to remove his shirt. Just the
thought of it made my heart rumble. A momentary glance and the Binding would
drown me with its false desire. And I was exhausted. Even if Ryan was so out of
it that he’d probably not remember anything, the curse wouldn’t be so lenient
with my memory.
Maybe I could
compromise…
My hands fumbled with
Ryan’s coat, pulling his arms from the sleeves. I began to tremble as I
loosened his shirt from his trousers. My gaze lingered on his belt for longer
than I was comfortable with, before I turned to lift the fabric to his
shoulders.
A bloody pinprick at the
edge of his shoulder-blade marked the entry point into the skin, and a
bluish-purple substance oozed from it. I wiped it with my finger, and the odd
hot-cold sensation made my eyes widen.
He’d been hit with
tranquilliser serum.
I exhaled slowly. I was
expecting poison, or worse. This was simple enough—I’d dealt with it many times
myself. Ryan’s own body would vanquish the toxin, and by morning he would be
back to normal, save for this little inconvenience. Lucky for him, I was a
healer’s daughter. But I still had to take this seriously.
First, I unbuckled the
iasometer and strapped it around the front of his elbow, so the brass pin sat
above the major artery. It clicked and whirred, and the dials began to flicker.
Moments later, they settled on their final readings. His pulse was in the
amber, but his blood pressure and temperature remained stable.
Relieved, I reached for
the hunting knife in Ryan’s belt, making sure I didn’t look too closely. I
grabbed the spare shirt and sliced off the collar and a sleeve. The former I
folded into a square, while the latter I ripped the seams, making a long band
of fabric. Hoisting up the bloody shirt, I tipped some water onto the wound.
Ryan hissed at the cold, but didn’t otherwise move. Once I’d washed out most of
the serum, I took the skin balm from the medical pack, and rubbed a generous
amount over the cut. Then I placed the folded collar on it, before I bound it
tight with the opened sleeves.
Once done, I pulled down
his shirt, and checked the iasometer again. His pulse had settled into the
green, and I wiped my brow. That had taken a lot out of me. I was shivering,
too, and not just because of the Binding. We might’ve been out of the snow
storm, but we may as well have been in an ice cavern. It wasn’t long before
Ryan started trembling, too. I had to keep him warm.
I closed my eyes for a
long while, gathering my strength, then unfastened the iasometer and tied it
back to my forearm. He didn’t need to see that
in the morning. Then I staggered to the packs. Cielo had retreated from the
entrance as far as he would dare, sheltered between a pair of stalagmites. He
was shaking, too. I groaned. I would have to clean the sweat off him, otherwise
he’d freeze.
Night
owl, indeed.
Encyclopaedia Azaria #2: The Tale of the Binding
Encyclopaedia Azaria #3: The Gladier-Farrontine Feud
Encyclopaedia Azaria #4: The Binding Spell
Encyclopaedia Azaria #5: The Noble Houses of Azaria
Encyclopaedia Azaria #6: The Goddess Shrines
