Elin:Ether Disease
 | Some of the text on this page is from the Tech Demo of the game. |
 | Some of the text on this page is from the Alpha build of the game. |
Ether disease is a set of symptoms which can manifest on the player over the course of gameplay. Some of them have positive effects, but they always carry a negative effect. Like mutations and feats, they may be found under the feats tab.
Mechanics
The progression of ether disease increases with ambient exposure over time, or when attacked by ether element attacks. When enough progression has accumulated, a new ether disease is added to the player. It functions similarly to the corruption mechanic in Ancient Domains of Mystery, which Elona drew much inspiration from.
Ether resistance from sources such as the Elea racial or vindale cloaks reduce the rate of progression of ether disease, while equipping items made of ether increase it.
Only the player seems to be affected by ether disease mechanically. While ether disease always has a negative component, some players may choose to minimise the downsides in order to take advantage of the upsides diseases provide.
Curing Ether Disease
Ether diseases are cured with a potion of ether antibody; these remove symptoms starting from the end. Blessed potions remove more diseases, while cursed ones advance the progression of ether disease.
Static sources of these potions are:
- Fortune Bell (3000 casino chips)
- Miral and Garokk's workshop (10 small medals)
Potions of ether antibody may also rarely generate wherever potions are randomly sold, such as vending machines or general vendors, but they cost tens of thousands of orens.
List of Ether Diseases
| Name | Flavour | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Enlarged Head | Your head has grown huge. | -10 End, -12 Dex, +15 Lea, +8 Will |
| Scalding Face | You have sores on your face. | -10 Cha |
| Thick Neck | Your neck is extremely thick. | +40 PV, -10 Cha, Cannot wear Neck gear. |
| Heavy Shell | You are covered by heavy carapace. | +40 PV, -15 Speed |
Lore
Ether is the lifeblood of Ylva; it is produced by the trees of the old forests and in the time of Sierra Terre, harvested as crystals from the fossilised remains of such trees. It is an important power source, most of all for the immense Cyran airships commandeered by Eulderna in the desert empire's ambitions of conquest.
During the ten years' war, Master Cetrus summoned a brief burst of etherwind from Nymelle to bring down the Euldernan airships invading Mysilia. However, a mysterious plague afflicted the citizens of Mysilia soon after, the first appearance of ether disease on the planet.
After the player ventures into the depths of Nymelle, Ornev explains that the time of Ylva's cleansing and the return of the etherwind are at hand.
Lore-wise, the effects of ether disease are typically muted; save for the unfortunate like Lily or those caught out in etherwind, external symptoms do not manifest until old age, if at all. The rapid effects on the player are considered to be an instance of gameplay and story segregation.
As the plot of Elona unfolds, the true nature of ether disease is made clear: in one of Prince Saimore's cutscenes, he explains to Bethel, Lomias and Larnniere that ether disease is caused by the destruction of meshera, a bacterial bioweapon/enhancer concocted during the era of Rem-Ido. This bioweapon ultimately caused the fall of that chapter of Ylva's history as the bacteria escaped control and ran rampant, with only the people living in the old forests surviving.
By the era of Sierra Terre, while people have re-emerged from the old forests to populate the world once more, the still-ubiquitous meshera has integrated itself into peoples' biologies as a symbiote. Its destruction via exposure to ether damages the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to all kinds of exotic diseases with wild symptoms - the collective term for which is ether disease.
