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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Edena_of_Neith" data-source="post: 3591987" data-attributes="member: 2020">Disease didn't pick out the elves in particular.  Disease was a party for everyone.  Disease swept across all of Oerik and Hyberborian continents following the Solistari War, and affected the other continents also.  The *important* point is not the disease, but how the elves reacted to it.  While humans and others turned to natural remedies and clerics to stop it, the elves had access to *neither.*   Starvation, disease, infestation, and exposure wracked the surviving elves of Delrune after the Onslaught of Vecna.  *Their* answer was, over a period of 3 years, to become Agnakoks, to become immune to hunger, disease, infestation, and exposure, by eating leaves and bugs and living foes, by supernatural changes in digestion, in supernatural changes to their bodies.  They *achieved this transcendence by embracing the core of what they were, their quintessential elvishness.*  In choosing to call upon their primordial elvishness, they found the strength to survive.  Humans could not have done this.  Humans, in the place of the surviving elves in the lone remaining city of Haldendrea (flooded 5 feet deep) would have all perished.  The descendants of the Elves of Haldendreeva, the canon elves of my home setting, retain these agnakok abilities and strange tendencies (such as eating leaves, bugs, and lliving foes, not to mention chewing on wood and fresh bones) today.  But they are immune to hunger if leaves, bugs, or living foes are available, immune to thirst if any water (no matter how fouled) is present, immune to all normal disease and infestations, and immune to exposure to cold, heat, sunlight, and the like.  Natural insects and animals will not attack the Elves of Haldendreeva (their aura of lifefire drives insects back and awes animals.)  Trees and shrubs recognize their power and do not afflict them (they cannot be slapped by a tree branch, or stumble through brambles, or otherwise be hindered by plants.)  They cannot stumble or fall or be hampered in any normal terrain or water ... their elvish inner selves brought forth in might have granted them Faerie-like immunities to such natural obstacles or problems.  Detect Life will cause an Elf of Haldendreeva to shine with sunlike force to the caster, as will Detect Magic to a lesser extent.  Detect Evil will show strong evil, regardless of the elf's actual alignment, due to the taint of Haldendreeva.  Would a paladin, then, become upset and take issue with that elven girl he detected strong evil on?  He had better be well prepared then, if he wishes to start a fight.  Because if the taint of Haldendreeva influences the girl, and she wins the battle, she is likely to slowly torture him (for fun, and as a matter of normal procedure), then devour him alive, keeping him alive as long as possible through this process.  And be merry and cavalier about it, gently chiding the paladin for trying to kill her, during the whole thing.  Elves of Haldendreeva.  They are very gentle, pleasant, loving, good people.  But for the sake of Istus, do not try to kill one, unless you are truly ready for war and battle, in all their awful red glory and gory horror.  If you can't handle that, go to the local inn and have a drink instead!</blockquote>

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