Moon Elf Divine Gift

Brief

Gaenon, the prime god of the Moon Elves, blessed his people with a gift. A means to keep them together, a community, all the while ensuring that they would be protected from outsiders. Physically and socially. While the moon elves do consider this a gift, for the rest of Yandelar, this is a terrible, uncurable disease that has, on occassion, brought about terrifying destruction.

Cycle

For a moon elf: Moon elves are born with this divine gift. While it makes them appear gaunt, with cold, white skin, with an aversion to meat for their entire lives, it otherwise doesn't seem to do them any harm. They are a hale, sturdy people that are not nearly as fragile as their inhumanly slender frame might suggest. It is only at death that this gift manifests. A moon elf that dies, from any cause, for any reason, will animate a short time after as a ravenous undead akin to a ghoul. Fast, intelligent, and inclined to hunt with other undead moon elves, the reanimated moon elf is hostile to any humanoid that is not a moon elf. Generally, they are set free in the forest surrounding the moon elf cities to roam in packs, keeping travelers far from the still living moon elves.
For others: The divine disease is spread through bodily fluids and mucus membranes. Once infected, a non-moon elf will feel feverish and nauseous for a day or two. At most three. This uncurable disease then kills the infected person, who will then rise up as a ravenous undead with a desire to kill and eat anything other than a moon elf.

Transmission & Vectors

Through bodily fluids and mucas membranes, though many on Yandelar believe it can be something as simple as skin-on-skin contact. Thus, many are adverse to being within touching distance of a moon elf.

A moon elf is always infectious. Because of this, there are simply no half-breeds and no bi-racial relations. It's simply fatal to the other partner.

Causes

Gaenon is the chief deity of the Moon Elves, whose domain is love and disease. It's this twisted manifestation of his portfolio that crafted this divine gift. It's a way to keep the moon elves safe, on an otherwise hostile continent and realm, all the while ensuring they retain a sense of close community. They only have eachother, after all, and there can be no outside influence. The fear inspired has kept them largely isolated from Yandelar and that is exactly how Gaenon likes it.

Treatment

As this is a divinely crafted disease, there is no present cure save divine intervention. Another god could, should they wish, cure a favored mortal of the disease.

Prevention

There have been a handful attemps throughout the centuries to prevent infection, to attempt relationships outside of their own. Though these have been extremely rare, they have always been fatal and have become cautionary tales to the moon elves who are still alive. There is simply no preventative measures besides avoiding the way it is actually transmitted.
For much of Yandelar, and the rest of Vyril, they prefer to keep their distance or outright forbid moon elves from entering their city / town.

Ghoul by Jelena Pjevic

Type

Divine

Origin

Divine

Rarity

Rare