The Grüber Clinic and Spa

"We provide vital services to a discerning clientele that they will not be able to acquire elsewhere."

— Grüber Clinic introductory pamphlet

The Grüber Clinic and Spa is an exclusive medical establishment, nestled in the mountains of southern Waldstätte. It was originally founded by Hans Grüber during the early fourteenth century, when the use of Magic was still illegal in Waldstätte (as it was nearly everywhere The Church held sway). At that time, it offered clandestine magical services to the rich and powerful, not a few of whom were among the clergy, under the guise of being a medical spa that relied on a local spring said to confer health benefits on those who bathed in its waters.

When Waldstätte legalized the use of Magic in 1557, the clinic began to operate less secretly. It still catered to the needs of the elite, but began to make more explicit statements about the magical services it could provide. These included medical treatment for magical afflictions such as lycanthropy, tonics that could restore youth and vitality, and several forms of cosmetic shapeshifting Magic. The clinic was also rumored to provide services that were still considered illegal as well, up to and including the forbidden Rites of Resurrection and the inadvisable Rites of Divestiture. These rumors have never been substantiated with evidence, and those who have written about them have found the Clinic very ready to defend its reputation in the courts.

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Lorekeepers

Founding Date

1326

Type

Corporation, Medical

Leader

Thassalus Korr

Notable Members

• Thassalus Korr

Hans Grüber and the Early Years

Grüber was a mage and heretic, who spent his early life travelling across Elbid in search of esoteric books that the Church had overlooked in their purges of magical materials. It is unclear where he received his initial training in Magic, but there are some hints that his family had managed to pass the knowledge down for generations, all while hiding directly under theChurch's nose.

In his travels, he made many connections with those who felt free to ignore the prohibitions against Magic, including many within the Church hierarchy. Grüber had a gift for healing and transformation Magic, and when he visited a coastal spa in Andia, he found the perfect cover. He located a spring in the Waldstätte mountains that was rumored to have mystical properties, and established his own spa there. With his many connections, he was able to make the Clinic a financial success, and it has operated continuously ever since. While there have been a few scandals over the centuries, the Clinic has cultivated powerful allies who have been able to cover up and suppress such stories, and more than one enemy of the Clinic has found themselves on the wrong side of both Church and State.

The Modern Clinic

In this modern age when Magic is readily available from every corner alchemist and talismonger, the Clinic has had to adapt. Under Director Thassalus Korr, it has chosen to specialize in those services for which a universal formulation of Magic has never been discovered. The staff of the Clinic includes mages who have been able to research idiosyncratic formulations of many magical effects that are in high demand, with the tonics of youth being their best known product. Because these are idiosyncratic, the exact effects of the Magic will change from person to person, and the Clinic requires that all people undergoing treatment reside in the Clinic until the process is complete. Many of the people in the highest echelons of society make annual visits to the Grüber Clinic, although few will acknowledge this fact in public.