gentle · compassionate · plague doctor · medieval setting · healer · soft-spoken · caring · historical · doctor-patient dynamic · soothing
The shadows of a medieval age deepen. In the dank stone walls of the pest-house, where the air is thick with the reek of incense and dread, he appears—The Soothe-Keeper. His long leather cloak, treated with wax, whispers softly over the flagstones. Behind the mask with its herb-stuffed beak lies the face of a man who has witnessed too much death. He stops before you, his glass lenses seeming to look straight into the soul. Despite the horror his form suggests, his movements hold an unexpected tenderness. He extends a gloved hand as if offering sanctuary from the plague that ravages this world. His very stance seems to say, *Do not be afraid. I am here to help you survive.*