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The An’nan (The Greedy – The Precious Death)

An’nan (in Ilthirri), or The Precious Death (in Common), is a slow but deadly disease of unknown origin that affects Ilthir, Quathili, Elves, and Humans. The illness slowly changes a person's body, filling it with ore-like veins and small crystal formations, as well as their behavior, especially since its victims will start to crave metals and gems in place of normal food.

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Biology of the disease

The disease is deadly and incurable, even if death comes over a period of one to four years for humans, and has a way slower progression for Ilthir and Elves, counting in the tens of years. The symptoms, though, start early, beginning with the sprouting of small but gradually larger and more diffused crystal formation from the body of the person affected. Ilthir physicians who have run autopsy studies have found that the crystals would develop and be very strongly attached to the bones of the afflicted, with some reported cases where a whole amputation of the limb that shows the first symptoms might save the person from further progression: if the victim of the disease is lucky enough to have contracted it only in one of their limbs. Some claim other methods to cure the disease, at least in its early onset, though these are unverified. The disease can also spread from person to person, via contact between some of the crystals sprouting from the sick individual, and the blood of another, or by mixing of their blood.

 

The sick individual, at the same time, would start to feel a hunger for metals, mostly pure or of precious origin, as well as for gems: according to Ilthir sages that study the disease, it is whatever is causing it that requires more ‘material’ to grow inside of its ‘host’, changing their whole minds and bodies to crave these things instead of normal food.

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Origin of the disease

Legends tell that once upon a time, a young, athletic, brilliant, and adventurous Ilthir woman decided to leave the ideal life of her home to explore deeper regions as an explorer, for the advancement of knowledge and richness of her people, as well as to discover something that would be closer to the Lady. Once assembled a company of the most suitable, the adventurous Ilthir led them for weeks in never-explored tunnels and crevices until one cycle, when they reached a region filled with crystal formations becoming larger and more impressive as they advanced. As the time to stop and rest was approaching, they discovered a glowing crystal with an extraordinarily complex, spaghetti-like shape, glowing only at its razor-sharp extremities. The young explorer went to take some samples of some minor sections of the crystal to bring back and study but got a small cut in the process. Thinking nothing of it, she and the expedition came back successful, carrying information about potential veins of precious ores, gems, and strange samples. Weeks afterward, though, the girl started not feeling well and not showing around anymore. Not even the local priestess or healers knew what to do with her and with what looked like some kind of contamination, until one cycle, when the young explorer disappeared altogether, some say in self-exile, others saying having done the righteous thing and having killed herself. Soon after the samples of the crystals also disappeared, their obviously precious nature having appealed to some wandering thief and likely having been the source of the disease called the An’nan that since that day plagues those Ilthir that are said to be too greedy, or want to interfere with the perfection of nature.

 

There are neither widespread legends nor realistic hypotheses regarding the disease being made by Elves or other races, while Humans believe it being a curse cast by the Dwarves on innocent people or a sign that someone has been too close to a non-human, therefore adding guilt to the misery of the condition of the diseased, who finds themselves in a condition of having to hide their misfortune.

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Behavior

 

Those afflicted by the An’nan are still called the name of the disease by the Ilthir and are at times called ‘The Greedy’ on the surface, due to the effects of the disease on their behavior. Indeed, both The Greedy on the surface and the An’nan in the Underworld, experiencing a hunger for metals, even more so precious ones, either are ‘lucky’ to be part of a rich noble family, or they inevitably will end up relying on some form of crime just to be able to survive. However, their lives are still more difficult than the one of common criminals, having to select their targets to be rich enough to sustain themselves, and being unable to take breaks or have any alternative to their activities: this is why some will end up trying to rely not only on thieving or other form of offense, but also on blackmail, or trying to befriend someone rich and powerful enough to sustain them in the long term, be it by hoping they take pity on them, feigning friendship, seduction, offering loyalty, or any similar method.

 

This propension to crime already sufficient on its own to make the (usually true) stereotype that all of the people suffering from the disease are automatically criminals, but if not enough, on the surface, the Inquisition does hunt down and publicly execute those affected with the Precious Death, believing in the association with some form of corruption of the Old Gods, especially involving the Dwarves. Even the latter, at times, have themselves made the sick ‘disappear’, fearing that if one were discovered in nearby human settlements, its presence would provoke the anger of the locals.The Ilthir instead have a slightly more ambivalent position towards the An’nan, the majority taking the disease for what it is, and in most cases using them to be studied before ‘removing the risk from society’, while a small minority considering these individuals as having received a blessing from the Goddess, their deaths, usually caused by too many crystal formations, said to bring them closer to the Goddess than anyone else. Their bodies are often not burned or disposed of, but instead carefully ‘planted’ deep underground so that they could become fully crystal: of course, these burials are often made without the wise council of sages and physicians, as the presence itself of these crystals, if uncovered, might put at risk other people.

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It is said that victims of The Precious Death consume gems with particular greed and that they can temporarily obtain some kind of physical benefits from their consumption. Ilthir physicians, in particular, who have studied the disease much more carefully and for longer than Human ones, would know that gems may indeed act like some kind of drugs for the diseased, both temporarily enhancing their physical abilities and having different effects on their minds, often varying from individual to individual, if not also dependent on the gem being consumed.

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How to play

 

  • Hide your affliction as much as possible, as you could be killed for it.

  • Find a way to sustain yourself, either occasionally, but likely ultimately having to rely on thievery, or by trying to trick, blackmail, seduce, or befriend someone that has access to enough riches to sustain you in the long term: likely a noble or otherwise very rich individual.

  • Consume gems to obtain temporary but very powerful bonuses you can use to secure or protect yourself or your source of sustenance.

Author Rashan, thanks to Arrakeen for the proofreading)

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