but a deity by definition is not human or elven, for that matter. The prospect of suffering on the human or elven scale is dismaying, to put it no higher. But is it to a deity? Maybe not. Perhaps the suffering is a necessity, from the deity's point of view. Telling a child not to touch a hot stove works for some children, but there's always going to be some that have to prove it for themselves, who will need to be burned before they heed the warning...