The point is what would become the Nightborne had the choice to join the Night Elf resistance… or cower away in their bubble. They chose the latter.
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You know what? I’ll take it. Moving on.
Night Elves are were not racist nor xenophobic in the beginning, according to World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume I, Pages 94 and 95:
- The trees, flowers, and woodland creatures silently watched the night elves flourished, whispering news of them to the Wild Gods of Hyjal. Among them, the demigod Cenarius took a keen interest in these newcomers at the Well of Eternity's shores. Cenarius adored the night elves and believed they had the potential to become great caretakers of nature. He befriended the fledgling race and taught them about the natural world. It was Cenarius's hope that the night elves would strive to live in harmony with the wilds.
For many centuries, the night elves did. They built a graceful society around the Well of Eternity. The capital of their small nation was Elun’dris, or “the Eye of Elune,” and it was founded on the shores of the fount of power. The night elves also honed their ties with the surrounding woodlands and their myriad inhabitants. Cenarius guided the night elves when necessary, pleased by the wisdom and benevolence that thrummed in their hearts.
But in time, many of the night elves yearned for a different life. These individuals became obsessed with unlocking the Well of Eternity’s secrets. They rigorously studied the fount’s arcane energies, becoming learned sorcerers. They harnessed the powers of the arcane lake and constructed wondrous temples and roadways around it. Magic became an inseparable part of life as the night elves reveled in the power at their fingertips. Pushing the boundaries of their intellect became the driving force of their culture.
It was during this era of unprecedented growth that the night elves’ most prolific leader came ti power. Her name was Queen Azshara. Through her unbridled ambition, she would elevate her people to extraordinary new heights… and sow the seeds of their destruction.
As time passed, the night elves began eschewing diplomacy and largely ignored Azeroth’s other cultures. Azshara’s dogmatic beliefs regarding racial purity seeped in the night elves’ psyche, creating an atmosphere rife with xenophobia.
It was Azshara’s and the Highborne’s mentality that made them xenophobic, not something that was a Night Elf nature before her. And in fact, the Highborne culture was not even the majority of the night elves’ way of life, as page 95 also notes:
- There was, however, one location Azshara and her forces avoided: Mount Hyjal. The spirits and demigods who roamed the sylvan forests unsettled the queen. She knew in her bones that Hyjal was somehow beyond even her influence. It was a place steeped in ancient magic, a wild, untamable, and unchangeable land that stood in stark contrast to her vision of a new Kalimdor. Publically, Azshara prohibited expansion into Hyjal out of respect of the night elves’ ancient kinship with the forests. In truth, she despised the mountain and the harmony it represented.
Azshara’s views on Hyjal were well known to Cenarius. With growing unease, he had watched the night elf empire expand. Year by year, he became increasingly frustrated with the hubris and thoughtless actions of the sorcerous Highborne. The majority of night elf society continued honoring the old ways of revering the wilds. The fact that these folk still lived in harmony wit the land warmed Cenarius’s heart, but he knew that they had no influence over Azshara and her arrogant followers.
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The NBs chose to pursue a relationship with the cousins they had an enormous amount in common with, and who actively wanted a relationship in turn. Rather than the NBs pursuing a relationship with their siblings who hold nothing but contempt for the entire NB culture; and were extremely suspicious and hesitant to pursue relations with them. Its pretty simple when put that way … and that doesn’t even need to touch on the contextual differences of Tyrande, Rommath, and Liadrin in Surumar; or the fact that the NEs only got rid of their execution law against Elves practicing the Arcane like 10 yrs ago.
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However they were in the beginning, it was a very racist culture that time travelers, Broxigar, Rohnin and Krasus would encounter by the time of the War of the Ancients. Tyrande , Malfurion, and Jarod Shadowsong were the only Night Elves that would not let their prejudices speak for them first when encountering the strangers. Krasus got a bit of a pass because of his High Elf form, Rhonin was able to command respect because of his obvious talents as an ArchMage, but Broxigar was seen as nothing other than an animal to be kept in a cage.
Even with their lives and empire on the line, Ravencrest and the other Highborne openly rebelled against the idea of working with the “filthy” dwarves and tauren. and it took Shadowsong to prevent an almost fatal debacle.
Hey, looks like you solved your own challenge.
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I didn’tsay it was impossible, just that such Night Elves are dammed rare.
If you consider “the majority of night elf society continued honoring the old ways” of not being xenophobic rare then I don’t think you’re using the word rare correctly.
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She’s a Paladin excesses of intelligence are not only required but actively discouraged in the class.
Elves of any stripe tend to be major on the insular side. Since most likely Liadrin was born after the Exile, she would have had no reason to be curious about history outside the Eastern Kingdoms, especially given the Quel’dorei’s concious effort to erase everything about themselves that pertained to their former lives.
Very much like the way the Romulans erased their Vulcan culture and history.
Source?
She also isn’t just a Paladin, she is “Leader of the Blood Knights, member of the Shattered Sun Offensive, leader of the Sunsworn, champion of the Silver Hand”
She should now, considering everything that has happened in/to the world since the Third War, things which she has been a part. I mean her people are a member of the Horde, a faction now largely based in Kalimdor, and have engaged in major offensives with them.
I think they had a good opportunity to use Mordent Evenshade given his plight seems similar to the Nightborne and it also contrasts nicely with what the Blood Elves had to go through along with his people - I think he would’ve been a much friendlier face diplomatically.
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I agree, though I do not so much trust Blizzard to given Mordent and the Shen’dralar more of a voice without undermining the anti-arcane elements of the Kaldorei, which I think should be at least a partly vindicated worldview.
Mordent, in my mind, would understand the tender balance that is required with the Arcane, and understand that the over indulgent and decadent history of the Highborne is over, and thankfully so. I feel like Kaldorei mages should more-so be akin to Arcane Clerics, almost like the Cobalt Soul from Critical Role, operating as a branch of the Sisterhood of Elune.
But in typical Blizzard fashion, they are more likely to wag their finger at those who defeated Azshara those thousands of years ago, and completely invalidate the wisdom they earned from that struggle.
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Yeah, it might have been too difficult for them to balance, but the Kaldorei have basically seen everything arcane as a no-no for so long and you can’t just ignore it. It could’ve made for some good story-telling anyway, and could have been used as a reason for the Nightborne choosing the Horde over the Alliance due to those views.
If memory serves, Mordent had to deal with mana withdrawal in a manner similar to the other parties once they escaped Dire Maul which makes him just look like a shoe-in for that entire scenario given the parallels drawn by the Blood Elves there. I guess including all of that would have been too difficult to present in MMO format though.
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Blizzard has made their stance pretty clear in BFA:
Alliance players are poor innocent victims who should feel righteously angry.
Horde players are scum, who Blizzard hates and wants to hate themselves.
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Remember that in Dire Maul, things had degenerated to the point where the Prince was feeding on his own people.
I don’t see anything self-righteous about being a doormat and throwing around the word “forgiveness” like its some magical end-all.
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I don’t recall reading that, thank you for filling in my knowledge. As I understand it, feeding on Immotholar(sp?) was pretty addictive, so when Mordent and his buddies fled they had quite a time weening themselves off of that energy.
That being said, the situation in Dire Maul sounds like it was pretty dire.
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There was a problem, however. Immotholar was becoming stronger and stronger against the bonds that held him… Eventually, it got to the point where they had to spend more energy containing him than what they were getting from him… to make up that balance, the Prince was feeding on his own people.
Mordent and his buddies were in starvation mode waiting to be the next to be consumed.
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I imagine that didn’t go over well with the remaining Highborne whatsoever - they were both addicted to a fading source of energy along with the fact that the Prince and his inner circle were planning something heinous alongside all of that.
With all that in mind, I imagine Mordent would be a shoe-in for negotiations with the Nightborne, or at least it would have been nice for him to provide counsel.
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Except that he wasn’t the front person, Tyrande was. and she most likely had no interest in what a Highborne would have to say.
Unfortunately so, but I guess that’s just how they planned it. Tyrande was pretty nice to Kael’thas in WC3 at the very least and I would have to refresh myself on how she treated Mordent & friends during Cata - they were definitely viewed with suspicion and disdain though along with out-right hostility.
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