Hopital de la Charite
Overview
Hôpital de la Charité (Charity Hospital) is a medical institution in Lyon nominally dedicated to the care of the poor and sick. In reality, it serves as a cover for Doctor Émile Carreau’s occult research into “resonant anatomy”—the study of how harmonic frequencies affect the human body.
Location & Governance
- Location: Central Lyon (specific district unspecified; likely near Place Bellecour)
- Official Status: Legitimate charitable institution
- Director: Doctor Émile Carreau
- Reputation: Well-regarded; known for innovative surgical techniques
Structure
Public Areas
- Wards: General patient wards; mostly legitimate care
- Operating Theatre: Where surgical procedures are conducted
- Pharmacy: Preparation of medicines and compounds
- Administrative Offices: Records and patient intake
Hidden Areas
- Private Surgery: Separate facility for Carreau’s experiments
- Research Chamber: Where harmonic anatomy is studied
- Sound Chambers: Acoustically isolated rooms for testing frequencies on subjects
- Holding Cells/Cells: Where test subjects are kept
Operations
The hospital:
- Accepts a steady stream of poor patients from Lyon’s streets
- Performs genuine medical care on most
- Conducts secret experiments on selected patients
- Disposes of failed subjects discreetly (as disease deaths, etc.)
- Records false cause of death for victims
Carreau’s Research
Doctor Carreau uses the hospital to:
- Map the “resonance frequencies” of human organs
- Test musical patterns on living subjects
- Develop techniques for harmonic manipulation of flesh
- Condition Victoire Lenoir and potentially other performers
His methods are:
- Vivisection disguised as surgery
- Auditory torture (forcing subjects to hear specific frequencies)
- Blood rituals tied to musical performance
- Death by harmonic resonance
Discovery & Access
The investigators might discover the hospital through:
- Intelligence from Commissaire Delaroche
- Patients escaped from Carreau’s experiments
- Missing person reports from families
- Occult research into Carreau’s activities
Entering the hospital is dangerous:
- Carreau’s loyal staff will defend the operation
- Evidence is hidden or destroyed
- Patients are confused or traumatized
- The hospital’s legitimacy provides plausible deniability
Campaign History
Chapter 2 — Lyon
The investigators raided the hospital to rescue Delaroche’s children, held by Savarin as leverage. See Orphans Hospital Raid for the full event.
Augustus and Jacob entered from the front; the ladies, Moreau, his veterans, Thomas, and Adrien entered from the rear. In the basement, they found Carreau mid-surgery on a child — inserting steel rods into the boy’s throat. Five children in cages, two already operated on. Two of the three unmodified children were Delaroche’s.
Augustus Bolt killed — mortal wounds holding off Blue Sash reinforcements, finished by Jacob’s critically failed First Aid. Jacob killed — shot by Marina in a bout of insanity. Dr. Carreau killed — shot by Emma, stabbed by Jacob. Georgiana took a cleaver to the shoulder. Over a hundred children freed from the wards above.
Connections to Other Files
- Doctor Emile Carreau — Director and experimenter
- Victoire Lenoir — Known patient/subject
- Commissaire Jules Delaroche — Potentially knows about the hospital
- [Chapter 2 Overview](…/chapters/Chapter 2 - Lyon/chapter-2-overview.html) — The hospital becomes relevant through investigation
Relationships
- Directed by Doctor Emile Carreau — Carreau serves as director
- Serves Mathilde Savarin — Hospital's resources used for occult experiments