Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 leowulf Feb 20, 2009 2:15:00	I was disappointed in a way to see how mercenary House Jorasco is. Pay up or no healing, and that enforced from within. It makes perfect sense in light of the other Houses, as it prevents Jorasco from losing the power that the Medical Establishment does seem to acquire. But ... What if there was a splinter clan - or clans, better - within Jorasco that felt that healing was a gift and should be offered as a gift. As to the motivation, it could be very good - Good-aligned people just wanting to Do the Right Thing on their own. Or it could be Good-aligned people being manipulated by one of the Lords of Dust into sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. But the motivation isn't as important to me as what would happen next. If the clans bucking the system were powerful enough, it could cause a schism in the house, between the well-funded "rich people" Jorasco and the well-loved champion-of-the-poor Jorasco. How would this play out? Both big-picture, how would this affect the setting, and small-picture, how would this affect daily life in the small city of Townsville?
#2 CraggleRock Feb 20, 2009 6:47:06	Did House Jorasco not start out as being a little more generous and end up in an unfortunate position with owing the other Houses vast sums, thus leading to the current situation? For those that are willing to move to offering their services for free, they will need an alternative to using protection and aid from the other Dragonmark's that can be gleaned for free, or else an alternative revenue stream to pay for their work. Maybe some of the halflings decide to finance the venture privately, but using services light Orien or Lyrandar transportation, Kundarak wardings, or Deneith guards on top of the usual costs is quickly going to eat into any savings they have horded away, and the other Houses may not necessarily be willing to offer their services for free, even if it does mean free healing...
#3 kitrack Feb 20, 2009 10:50:02	I had a player in a previous campaign that had a similar objection to House Jorasco, and his halfling essentially offered free clinic type care. Unfortunately, the campaign got derailed by a number of out of game things before that could be resolved, but my thoughts were this (warning: brain dump): House Jorasco would essentially maintain an accreditation system for healers and doctors, much like the American Medical Association. There would perhaps be financial incentives/obligations to do so? If you were accredited by House Jorasco, you could put up a sign or similiar certification, or perhaps be entitled to call yourself a Doctor. However, it might come with certain rules against giving away care, or perhaps its limited (the way some lawfirms do pro-bono work but still charge most customers. If you aren't accredited, then House Jorasco wouldn't too much care what you were doing, because they have a massive amount of public perception that Jorasco certified is the only safe medical way. Consider yourself, or a loved one, being sick. Would you go to the free guy down the street, who doesn't have a medical degree, for surgery or prescriptions (if he can get his hands on them)? Or would you go to the Doctor with the impressive practice who charges a fair amount but has certification that he knows what he's doing? Continuing the certification thing, perhaps Jorasco has gotten laws passed that require certification when practicing medicine (the way US laws are)? I agree that the Wealth Doctors/Champion of the Poor split is a viable story point, and one that might be an eventual outcome. Consider how the Champion of the Poor funds his operation - certainly not from service fees. Perhaps he's an adventurer or has an adventurer patron? Or your Lords of Dust patron? On a big picture scale, my thought is that it would eventually cause a serious backlash if it got to be a credible business-threat. Those members of Jorasco that are wealthy and make money on the administration of the massive medical practice that is Jorasco would probably bring a lot of pressure (subtle and not-so-subtle) on the free guys. Consider social stigmata - rumors, lies, and politics aimed at taking that luster off the free guy clinic. Consider police and official government harassment - including some of the mechanics mentioned in the list above becoming law. Consider mob-style leg breakers to convince them to back off. In the city of Townsville, I don't see much happening at first. Soon, the rumors, lies and such would spread, creating fear of the free clinic (I hear they let the homeless come in for "free treatment", but kill one a week and sell his body to necromancers. Well, my wife's cousin hear about a guy who took some "medicine" for a toothache, but it was bad and he died of dysentry two weeks later!). I imagine that the free clinic would have to start dealing with vandalism and petty harassment; if the big wigs are desperate or foolish, the customers might get threatened or intimidated too.