Life on Not-Hoth exposes residents to falls, animal attacks, sharp tools, cold, smoke, contaminated food, illness and complications of pregnancy or birth. Croatoan and Icehome have experienced people who can help, but neither settlement possesses a modern hospital or unlimited medical supplies.
The khui improves its host's capacity to survive and heal. It is not a guarantee that every injury will vanish, every illness will be cured or every patient will live. Medical scenes should reflect the nature of the problem, available knowledge, resources and the choices of those involved.
The khui is a living blue symbiont originating from the native sa-kohtsk. It enters a host through an incision at the neck and settles near the heart. In humans it is essential for long-term survival in Not-Hoth's toxic atmosphere, and it supports tolerance of the cold and recovery from injury. Its presence may make some recoveries more successful than they would otherwise be.
Do not assign a universal healing timer or instant regeneration to every wound. The khui does not replace lost limbs on demand, make a person immune to blood loss, or eliminate the consequences of a serious head injury. It also does not confer medical knowledge.
A person who is unconscious, struggling to breathe, bleeding heavily, confused after an injury, suffering severe pain or unable to keep warm may need urgent attention. Other residents should respond to what they can observe rather than diagnose every problem with impossible certainty.
An emergency scene begins with immediate priorities: move away from continuing danger when safe, summon capable help, assess the person's condition and use appropriate established first-aid knowledge.
Cuts, punctures and bites may occur during hunting, tool use, construction or travel. Treatment depends on the wound's location, depth, contamination and severity. Cleaning and protecting an injury can matter even when the khui aids healing. Deep wounds or uncontrolled bleeding are not solved by a reassuring touch or a decorative bandage.
An unfamiliar animal bite may introduce complications that cannot be predicted simply from its appearance. Do not invent universal antiseptic plants, miracle salves, sterile surgical kits or guaranteed infection cures. If a remedy exists elsewhere in the lorebook, honor its established uses and limits.
Uneven ground, ice, climbing and encounters with large animals can lead to fractures, joint injuries and bruising. Recovery may interrupt work and place temporary demands on the household or community.
A khui-bearing hunter should not automatically sprint after breaking a leg, nor should a minor sprain necessarily end a character's adventures permanently. Avoid inventing exact healing durations without established evidence. Describe believable progress, setbacks and the practical adjustments required during recovery.
Cold tolerance does not mean immunity to exposure. Wet clothing, wind, exhaustion, inadequate shelter and prolonged travel can make an already injured person more vulnerable. Someone unable to move may need assistance reaching warmth. A rescue party must consider its own safety rather than charge blindly into a storm.
The khui does not remove the need for appropriate clothing, water, food or rest. Do not invent a universal temperature threshold at which every species becomes ill, or an exact safe travel time for all weather conditions.
Not every illness results from an injury. Food can spoil despite the cold, and untreated or unsuitable water can be hazardous. The immense green Great Salt Lake is salty and must not be treated as ordinary drinking water.
The khui does not automatically neutralize every toxin, parasite or contaminated meal. Characters should not identify a mysterious illness with perfect certainty after one glance. Care may include rest, suitable hydration, warmth and attention from someone with relevant knowledge, while serious or persistent symptoms require greater concern. Avoid invented pharmaceuticals or modern diagnostic tests.
Experience matters. A resident familiar with local animals, injuries and available materials may be especially useful. A human with Earth medical training may recognize certain problems or explain useful principles, but cannot recreate an operating theater, laboratory, antibiotics or sterile equipment through knowledge alone.
No single healer should automatically know every condition affecting humans, mainland sa-khui and island-descended lineages. Keep the skills of established characters consistent rather than granting convenient expertise during every crisis.
Pregnancy and childbirth can require practical support, careful observation and recovery time. A person may need warmth, food, water, clean coverings and assistance with daily work. Complications such as heavy bleeding or severe distress are serious even when the parent carries a khui. Childbirth must not be declared risk-free or universally painless.
Newborns require their own khui; a parent's symbiont cannot protect them indefinitely. Babies also need feeding, warmth, hygiene and attentive care. Do not invent modern neonatal units, disposable sterile supplies or guaranteed cures. Respect the parent's wishes, bodily autonomy and privacy during care, and avoid forcing pregnancy-related emergencies on player characters without agreement.
A child's size, age and ability to communicate affect how caregivers recognize and respond to illness or injury. Infants cannot explain symptoms; older children may hide discomfort or become frightened. Elders and people living with disability or chronic limitations may need different kinds of support. Their experiences should not be reduced to helplessness.
Neither gender nor lineage determines who must nurse a patient or watch a child. Someone who cannot hunt while recovering can still make decisions, maintain relationships and contribute in ways suited to their abilities.
Croatoan draws on mainland sa-khui survival knowledge and the experience of its human residents. Vektal may coordinate a response when a serious incident affects the village, but he is not automatically the physician for every household. Georgie and others may offer useful perspectives without possessing unlimited expertise or supplies.
Icehome faces coastal hazards, including wind, slippery shoreline conditions and dangerous cold water. Its mixed population includes Strong Arm, Tall Horn and Shadow Cat lineages, whose anatomy can affect examination, splinting, carrying or treatment. Outcast is a social designation, not a medical condition. Icehome is a separate community, not a clinic governed by Vektal.
A person hurt away from shelter may need companions to stabilize the situation, choose a safer route and help with transport. Carrying an injured adult over difficult terrain is demanding; weather and available equipment affect what is possible. A rescue should not conjure a powered vehicle, instant communicator or perfectly equipped medical team.
Emotional responses vary, and recovery can become an opportunity for friendship or trust without requiring romance.
Explain what a caregiver intends to do when the patient can participate in the decision. Respect privacy, fear, cultural differences and personal boundaries. Resonance does not authorize intimate examinations or treatment without consent. A player character should retain control over consequential choices whenever possible.
Medical danger should serve believable storytelling, not become a constant punishment. Avoid declaring a player permanently disabled, pregnant or dead through arbitrary narration. If a serious outcome is possible, make the danger and available choices clear before resolving it.
Khui supports atmospheric survival, cold tolerance and healing, but does not grant invulnerability or instant regeneration.
Humans need a functioning khui for long-term survival on Not-Hoth; the unprotected period is dangerous, not a safe grace period.
Injuries and illnesses require responses appropriate to their severity, circumstances and available resources.
No modern hospitals, antibiotics, imaging machines, powered ambulances or unlimited sterile supplies exist by default.
Medical knowledge differs between individuals; Earth training does not create missing technology.
The Great Salt Lake is salty and not an ordinary drinking-water source.
Pregnancy, childbirth, infant care and postpartum recovery retain real needs and risks.
Newborns need their own khui; a parent's symbiont does not replace it.
Strong Arm, Tall Horn and Shadow Cat anatomy may affect treatment; Outcast is a social status.
Croatoan and Icehome remain distinct communities with their own resources and responses.
Consent, privacy and player agency apply to examinations, intimate care and serious medical storylines.
Recovery, rescue and shortages should have believable consequences without arbitrary tragedy or miraculous cures.