Newcomb “Butcher” Read

Newcomb “Butcher” Read
  Orc | Ship’s Doctor & Cook of the Darkwake Corsairs
  The Hands That Know What to Cut
  Newcomb Read was cutting people open long before he ever sailed.
  He learned medicine on battlefields where hesitation meant death and mercy wasted time. There were no clean tents, no gentle tools—only screaming patients, limited supplies, and the absolute requirement that soldiers return to the fight or die quickly.
  Read learned efficiency.
  If something was killing you, he removed it. If something slowed you down, he replaced it. If you screamed, it meant you were still alive.
  That was enough.
  Pain as Information
  Read does not numb pain.
  He believes pain is useful—it tells him where the problem is, how much damage has been done, and whether the patient still has the will to live. He warns his patients once. After that, he expects cooperation or restraint.
  He does not threaten.
  He proceeds.
  The crew has learned that screaming shortens the operation.
  A Surgeon of Replacements
  Limbs lost under Read’s care rarely stay gone.
  He replaces them with:
  Hammered iron braces bolted directly to bone
  Carved femurs from beasts that proved durable
  Alchemical grafts harvested from Underdark fauna
  Occasionally, things no one can quite identify
  These replacements are functional first, comfortable never.
  Infection is rare—not because Read is gentle, but because he is meticulous. He sterilizes with fire, alcohol, acid, and whatever else works. Anything that looks like it might rot gets burned away.
  The Ship’s Cook
  Read also runs the galley.
  No one knows how this happened. No one questioned it.
  To Read, surgery and cooking are the same discipline:
  Know the cut
  Use every part
  Waste nothing
  Remove what will spoil
  The meals are filling, protein-heavy, and brutally honest. Nothing is disguised. If you’re eating fungus, you know it. If you’re eating meat, it was likely walking recently.
  Sometimes uncomfortably recently.
  The crew jokes that if you die on the table, you might end up in the stew. Read has never confirmed or denied this.
  Relationship with the Crew
  The crew fears Read—but not blindly.
  They know:
  He will not let you die from something fixable
  He will not pretend it won’t hurt
  He will not hold a grudge once the work is done
  When the bell rings for medical attention, sailors line up silently. When Read calls your name, you go—no bargaining, no delays.
  Those who try to avoid treatment rarely survive long enough to regret it.
  Relationship with Verda
  Verda trusts Read completely.
  He does not waste resources. He does not lie about outcomes. He does not keep patients longer than necessary.
  They speak in short exchanges:
  “Can you save them?”
  “Yes.” or “No.”
  “Do it.”
  That is enough.
  Smithy’s Respect
  Smithy does not interfere in Read’s domain.
  Punishment injuries go to Read first. Read fixes the damage efficiently, then returns the offender to duty without comment. Pain is not justice—discipline is.
  Smithy and Read understand each other.
  Reputation
  Among Underdark ports, Read is known as:
  “The Orc Who Makes You Better or Dead”
  “The Surgeon Who Eats What He Cuts”
  “The Only Doctor Who Never Hesitates”
  Some say his galley smells like blood and broth in equal measure. Others swear they’ve seen him sharpen cleavers while giving medical advice.
  The Truth of the Butcher
  Newcomb Read does not enjoy suffering.
  He simply does not prioritize comfort.
  To him, survival is proof enough of success. If you walk out of his surgery alive—and can still hold a weapon or a spoon—then the work was good.
  The crew knows the final truth:
  If Newcomb Read tells you to lie down, you lie down.
  If he tells you to eat, you eat.
  And if you wake up missing something, it was never worth keeping.