"What If..." [SoA Endgame Spoilers]

[SixOfSpades]

What if . . . Jon Irenicus had succeeded in killing the Tree of Life? Would all the Elves in the world slowly sicken and die? Or would it be simply that no new Elves could be born? Couldn't the Seldarine simply make a new Tree, or use part of their divine essence to re-empower the old one?

I haven't used Viconia in so long, I've completely forgotten if she objects to saving the Tree or not . . . then again, BioWare wrote her to be a softie anyway, what would a truly Evil Elf feel about the Tree? Would Phaere, for example, want to destroy it?

[Klorox]

I don't know if even Viconia would be opposed, Drow are genetically Elves, and if a tree were to stop births or kill all elves, I'd think Drow would be included.

[Armen]

Originally posted by Klorox: I'd think Drow would be included.

i wondered about that when i read Six's post - bu then i thought that the drow are supporting JI although perhaps without knowing what he planned . . .

but then i don't know enough about the forgotten realms elf 'species'

[Kyrvias]

Hypothetically speaking, were that to happen, I would think that, were the Drow to know of Irenicus' plans fully, they would stop him. Chaos is the base of their society, but chaos can only go so far with a dying species. Most likely, they would be part of some species wide apyphany, and renounce their evil ways.

[SpiritWarrior]

A new tree could certainly be created. There were others before it.

I'd wager surface elves would feel the destruction of the tree as a great shock to their spirit, and some weaker elves may even die, but I don't think it would kill every elf outright. Rather, i'd say it would simply weaken them, probably causing a loss of certain racial abilities and overall stamina. It would be a crippling blow, put it that way. There'd be a horrible gaping hole in the world that must be sealed, as far as the elves of Toril are concerned.

The drow however, wouldn't be affected at all. As far as FR lore goes, they hate the trees and attribute that "sacredness" to the faerie elves only. They are mutations of elves and bear little connection to anything that isn't drow. They are self-sustaining within their own "world". Their items and magic dissipate on the surface, for example, because they don't have an innate connection to the weave in the way surface elves do. If they were so connected this wouldn't be the case.

I'd go as far as saying they would cheerily destroy it if given the chance. I can imagine the Spider Queen plotting this one out as a mighty blow the the surface elves. Such an act though would be horribly difficult as it is well protected by the elven gods. I think the game entertained the notion of this only because they meant it to fail. In reality, (if we can call it that) we're talking mighty battles, filled with elven avatars of both good and evil. If it was somehow achieved by a mortal though, i'd see it as enough to justify sponsorship on the path to godhood.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

I agree with SpiritWarrior, up to the drow business. I believe that the drow are innately elven. They're the spawn of the Spider Queen, sure, but also of Corellon Larethian.

I would also postulate that the racial abilities lost would be the lifespan or the connectedness to nature... I would speculate that what happened to Irenicus would happen to some/many/most elves until it was recreated.

I imagine that the recreation of the tree would call for the type of elven high magic that requires the participation of several deities and a large number of elves. It would tax the powers of the gods, cost many elves their lives, and take a toll on even more.

Of course, that's the worst-case scenario.

[SpiritWarrior]

But haven't they forsaken Corellon and the faerie elves though? According to what was covered in "Evermeet", they care nothing of the tree of life and I deduct that it means nothing to them and holds no power over them. Unless it does, and it's destruction would render them into the same boat as the surface elves, which in that case means they don't realize the importance of it?

I would say the first ever drow(s) may be affected, since they were once true elves, but the ones that now populate the realms I doubt, since they are a far cry from the original drow, and have their own unique abilities, affinities, culture, religion etc. making them like you said, the spawn of the spider-queen. I guess at some point they become their own race?

I too would agree about how the recreation would go about. IIRC there are celestial guardians assigned to the tree as it is, making it quite hard for any mortal to run afoul.

Good topic though, but we really can't know past where it was covered in FR literature. I am quite interested in the drow lately, even though I purposely avoided them in the past, mostly due to the horrible hype surrounding Drizzt and co. back then.

[Iron Greasel]

The drow might genetically be elves, but this is magic. It has very little to do with genetics. Jon and Bodhi were stripped of their elven immortality and severed from the tree. Therefore it must be possible. Therefore the drow, loathing everything on the surface, would have done it ages ago.

[JrKASperov]

I don't think the tree has anything to do with elven life at all. I think it's merely a focus for their magic and that destroying it would severely damage their magic, but not their lives. FR isn't the sort of world where races are innately bonded to nonliving things. They're just there. Dwarves, humans, half-elves, gnomes, halflings, half-orcs, none of them are bonded to anything.

[robertthebard]

Originally posted by SpiritWarrior: But haven't they forsaken Corellon and the faerie elves though? According to what was covered in "Evermeet", they care nothing of the tree of life and I deduct that it means nothing to them and holds no power over them. Unless it does, and it's destruction would render them into the same boat as the surface elves, which in that case means they don't realize the importance of it? I would say the first ever drow(s) may be affected, since they were once true elves, but the ones that now populate the realms I doubt, since they are a far cry from the original drow, and have their own unique abilities, affinities, culture, religion etc. making them like you said, the spawn of the spider-queen. I guess at some point they become their own race? I too would agree about how the recreation would go about. IIRC there are celestial guardians assigned to the tree as it is, making it quite hard for any mortal to run afoul. Good topic though, but we really can't know past where it was covered in FR literature. I am quite interested in the drow lately, even though I purposely avoided them in the past, mostly due to the horrible hype surrounding Drizzt and co. back then.

They wouldn't be the first race, or people, guilty of almost suicidal short sightedness.