Elven Gangrene

Fuck the operating room! We need to get Oren to a dehydration chamber first. That shrapnel in his side might kill him, sure, but the water leaking through his exosuit will kill him slowly, and painfully, and might end up killing us, too.

-Aaron Peck, medical officer, Loressian Glory

Transmission & Vectors

No single bacterium is responsible for every case of Elven Gangrene; it is a catch-all term for septicemia with various common symptoms.

Causes

Water, especially but not necessarily water containing bacteria, or water vapor will cause Elven skin to rot. The Elf home planet is extraordinarily dry, and their integument is unable to cope with moisture or the bacteria that thrive in it.

Symptoms

Sores manifest on the skin after a few hours of exposure to water. Hair begins to fall out next. Insanity and intense hunger follows shortly thereafter. Violent, often anthropophagic pica represents the third stage, with the terminal stage of the disease causing widespread necrosis and, eventually, death.

Treatment

Emergency dehydration is required in elves exposed directly to water, and should be initiated no later than three hours after exposure. A week-long course of antibiotics are generally prescribed. Second-stage Elven Gangrene can sometimes be treated with Saracellan maggots, but prognosis is low at this stage.

Prognosis

If treated before sores develop, the prognosis is excellent. Once sores develop, some amount of tissue may need to be sacrificed, which may or may not be amenable to medical regeneration procedures. After the second stage, prognosis is very poor.

Sequela

Elves in the third and fourth/final stage of Elven Gangrene are called Draugr.

Prevention

Elven Snuff can be used to stave off ill effects from atmospheric water vapor. Hermetically-sealed exosuits are often used to prevent direct contact with water or moist environments.

History

As elves had not visited planets with more water than Saracelli before first contact with humans and orcs, the disease was exceedingly rare in the past. Only highly immunocompromised individuals displayed the symptoms, which progressed through the stages at a substantially slower rate than most cases today.

Cultural Reception

Draugr are generally killed on sight, as their anthropophagus behavior is anathema to treatment. The disease's existence has caused tensions between elves and other species, as it is seen as a threat to both sides. Xenophobic groups on Saracelli and elsewhere cite it as a reason elves shouldn't mingle with other species.

Type

Bacterial

Origin

Natural

Affected Species

• Elf