The I20 incident: A post mortem

This coroners report is commissioned by the Public Health and Safety Board (PHSB) and the Vienda Palace Record Office (VPRO).

I, Doctor Ivan Mottoni (HMC) declare that the following is true and correct to the extent of my knowledge, and have neither modified nor omitted any pertinent detail.

Toll summary:

56 dead;
3 Galdor seventen
5 Galdor civilians
29 Wicks and witches*
19 Human civilians*

113 injured;
17 critically
36 seriously
60 superficially

1 birth.

Injuries ranged from superficial cuts, grazes and 3rd degree burns on extremities to 60% 1st and 2nd degree burns, blunt force trauma, stab wounds, projectile wounds.

It is estimated that 30% of fatalities were due to acute shock, 25% (and rising) from infection, 20% from puncture wounds on vital organs, 15% blood/fluid loss, 10% internal bleeding.


Case studies:

Subject A: Human adult male

Condition:
50% burns, 1st and 2nd degree
Puncture wound to liver
Multiple abdominal lacerations and incisions; pierced bowel
Acute shock

Treatement:
Euthanised according to PSR-II directive, zero survivability.

Status:
Deceased.



Subject B: Human adult male

Condition:
Blunt abdominal trauma

Treatment:
Emergency surgical procedure. Patients abdomen opened, blood drained and internal bleeds secured. IV crystalloid was administered to maintain blood pressure. Patient succumbed to injuries before Magical Post Operative Disinfection (MPOD) could be administered.

Status:
Deceased.



Subject C: Wick adult female

Condition:
Stress induced preterm labour

Treatement:
Delivered with assistance, foetus manually turned for proper delivery, newborn kept in improvised incubator and closely observed. Scheduled for follow up visitation.

Status:
Mother and child are healthy.




Subject D: Wick adult male

Condition:
2nd degree torso burns
Projectile wound to shoulder

Treatement:
Burns cooled and bandaged, arrow extracted. Bleeding halted. Cardiac arrest occured soon after, patient did not respond to resuscitation.

Status:
Deceased.



Subject E: Wick infant female

Condition:
40% burns 2nd and 3rd degree
Multiple bruising and crushing injuries
Broken femur

Treatement:
Leg splinted, burns cooled, disinfected and bandaged, sedated. Died hours later of shock.

Status:
Deceased.



Subject F: Wick adult female

Condition:
25% 3rd degree burns
Concussion and open head wound
Various small magic wounds

Treatement:
Burn treatment administered, paralytic and IV crystalloid applied. Head wound cleaned and sutured. Patient was kept awake due to coma risk, and received MPOD. Transferred to the ICU of Royal Vienda hospital when stabilised.

Status:
In recovery.



Conclusion:

I can offer no insight into the cause of the riot, but the events are told by the injuries I was required to treat. The direct and indirect cause of the majority of fatalities was without question a powerful magma spell. It is highly unlikely that it could have been casted by a wick. The biggest obstacle to treatment was a powerful brail in the immediate vicinity, though the cause is unknown to me; it is likely that a panicked victim attempted to cast a high level healing spell, or made a mistake in reciting the appropriate monite. The brail rendered healing mages incapable of supporting with magic, and many patients could not be safely moved out of the fallout zone.

In the interest of the safety of civilians I reccomend the implementation of a crowd control protocol with particular emphasis on sedative spells and an effective ban on area effect spells that cause physical harm for use in crowd control.


* Take these figures as guideline. Some bodies were disfigured beyond the point of identification, even of race. A more accurate figure may be arrived at with help from the Census department at VPRO or a public inverstigation.

Low Judge Ogden was reading the day's paper at his desk when the knock came at his door. Lifting his half-moon spectacles, he sniffed and in a croaking voice bade the visitor enter.

A human, one of the night clerks, entered the office at a shuffling pace. He was a scrawny thing, with half a day's whiskers and deep shadows under his eyes.

Ogden did not wish him a good evening, or acknowledge his presence at all beyond one raised eyebrow, the least amount of effort imaginable.

"Sir," stammered the man, "I've got the coroner's report from the riot. One of the local doctors dropped it off today."

The Low Judge sniffed again.

"Doctors," he repeated, stressing the word as though it was a silly little thing to be. "Yes, Henry, just leave it on my desk."

"I really think, sir, that you should read this bit about-"

"I said leave it on my desk," thundered Ogden, looking suddenly furious at being questioned. "I will get to it in the morning."

Henry paused, suddenly stricken with fear.

He had meant to copy the information down that afternoon. But he had been so occupied with his tasks that day; the never-ending pile of secretarial work had been bogging down his senses, and he had completely forgotten. Now, he stood before the Low Judge, facing the very mind-numbing realization of what was about to happen because of his negligence, his stupidity.

"Sir, I believe I've forgotten one of the sheets," he said hurriedly. "Please permit me to go fetch-"

"That won't be necessary," snapped Odgen. He eyed Henry warily. "Leave it here. On my desk."

Slowly, Henry stepped forward. His thumb did not want to move from the primary page of the report; his hand was fighting the action of setting the paper down.

He stumbled, trying hard to remember the numbers, the names, the case studies...

Ogden snatched the papers from Henry with a glare, sniffing once more. He pointed to the door. "You are dismissed," he said shortly.

There was no word for the sort of self-loathing that Henry felt at that moment as he stepped from the office. As he walked down the hall, he cursed himself for being so ludicrously forgetful. Tears threatened to spring to his eyes when he smelled it - the unmistakable scent of burning paper.