We know that the Kaldorei has in the past been a stratified and rigid society, but now it is somewhat less-so. We have our druids, our priestesses, warriors, hunters, but there’s also the less-glamorous civilian NPC’s. I’m talking about the vendors, mushroom-farmers, merchants, and the laity. Guys like Jenal the Ditchdigger https://www.wowhead.com/npc=9047/jenal.
I’m interested in finding more background information about these types of Night Elves and their social class, especially how they interact with or are regarded by the military/druidic/clerical types, and what barriers or avenues they might have toward social mobility.
I’d like to flesh out more details about a character who would have started in this type of situation (relatively lowborn civilian/laborer) but is incorporated or drafted by circumstance into a more military/defensive guerilla combat role in the Warsong conflict. I imagine the relationship between this type of character and the more traditional military class would still be grudging or distant at times, and would be fully accepted by only the most pragmatic or unorthodox characters (not exactly universal Nelf attributes), and even then remaining as something of a black sheep.
I’d too would like more info on this. As well as some idea about the social structure during the long vigil. Were nobels still a thing. Did some have more assets than others and how were they obtained?
There is nothing canon about this but maybe some more experienced rp’ers have an idea that could explain this.
I mean I would imagine that it’s the same circumstance as many farmer and farmhands from Westfall being drafted. The military needs a constant supply of troops for the meat grinder of war. So the more recruits that are drained from the pool, the more they’ll start looking at the Ditchdigger and other civilians doing jobs that aren’t vital.
Being from outside the sphere of the military, he could suggest and do things that normal military personnel would never think of doing or just never consider it. He could know the area or type of terrain better than his comrade due to his previous profession working with it. You have a lot of possibilities in it.
That’s pretty much in-line with what I’ve been thinking. I’m trying to hone down a story that starts out with being something like a gardener (ala Ditchdigger) ostensibly assigned to weed out “invasive species” in the backwoods (with a shovel or axe), which has grown into fighting off demons and other enemies with more sophisticated technique. I’d like to be able to justify that as a potential origin for troops like the Ashenvale Skirmishers perhaps in the mold of Jarod Shadowsong.
So one of my main concerns is how that would play in Kaldorei culture as a whole, and how it might vary among the subgroups specifically (druids, priests, etc), and to what degree they’d still be segregated or marginalized, if at all.
I wonder if the military wing (the Sentinels, etc) might be more pragmatic about “non-traditional” figures, but there might be some degree of hazing or shade on a personal (non-official) level. I’d imagine the priestesses might be less accepting, and the druids, such that they could be bothered, might tend to be more dismissive.
The Night Elf lore is a bit of a mess at this point.
There are male members of the Sisterhood of Elune; female Druids are a thing, the sentinel army doesn’t have much in the way of restrictions or traditions anymore.
Although with regards to Night Elf civilian life, we can make a few inferences if we look at the way the Night Elves live.
Night Elves live in a massive, deep forest comparable to our own immense rainforest; where most of their population is likely to be found in smaller towns, villages and other communities spread out across the vast area. These communities are likely to be headed by a village elder or set of elders, who only occasionally communicate with the central authority. Because of the thick forest, limited roads & xenophobic isolationist history of the Night Elves, it is likely that they do not have a significant history of trade. Because Agriculture is based heavily on nature magic, most civilians are likely to be artificers and craftsmen by profession. Because so many of them live in a forest however, even civilians are likely to be expert hunters and bowmen compared to human standards, especially as they too will have centuries or even millennia of experience without suffering the mental and physical degradation of age that most other races suffer from.
Given that the Horde is waging a campaign of genocide and deforestation, support & volunteers on the Night Elf side are likely to be plenty, and so I doubt there would be much need to draft or press gang people into service. In fact, the guerrilla is likely to include the most impetuous of the Night Elves; those who feel the need to engage the Horde at once without signing up as a recruit.
I would actually make the case the guerrilla might be admired a little bit by the Sentinels and Priestesses for their eagerness to face the Horde; the usual scorn softened much by the fact that the Horde represents a potentially existential threat to northern Kalimdor.
Mostly in a sentimental way though. If a guerrilla force actually linked up with a Sentinel force, the former would likely be put in a support role or just told to get out of the way. There would not be much mixing of units, because the centuries of regimental training & procedure of the sentinels is likely to clash with the ad-hoc fighting style of the guerrilla.
I do get the sense from what we see in-game that most of the Night Elf “regiments” (groups of fighters, whatever you want to call them) are still all-female, or in the case of the skirmishers, all male, although the npc groups that you see in the more recent expansions (especially BfA) are more integrated.
I think it makes sense to look at these skirmishers or irregular guerrilla groups as holding a more specific function, as you say, compared to the well-established Sentinel regulars. It makes sense that they might operate separately, but with some coordination with the traditional Sentinel forces.
I wonder if it would makes sense to see these skirmisher troops as filling a niche role in the Ashenvale defense forces that is a reaction to the specific conflict or situation at hand (in this case, the Warsong conflict). Maybe someone saw a need for (or recognized the efficacy of) a class of medium/heavy infantry that specializes in fighting un-mounted and at closer range, perhaps especially in the very thick forest areas near the contested borders, using guerilla tactics.
This is kind of true but nonetheless your post is thought out and well out together.
I don’t have a huge issue with this though. It wipes away the idea that all of the males were sleeping druids. But even with that the Sisterhood and the Sentinels remain majority female and female lead.
I love this section, it give you a really good idea as to who they might have lived. The village or region leaders were probably of the Sisterhood or higher ranking druids. But I wonder if they did have some idea of trade? Considering their previous lifestyle I wonder if there was some attempt by some to elevate their economic standing.
Most of the Night Elf vibe is “Living With The Land”. As per the usual forest elf vibe, Night Elf populations are small, so unlike Humans and Orcs, they don’t have a peon class. (Modern Kal’dorei are essentially descended from what were peons in the Pre-Sundering Empire. Hence their long hostility to the Highborne and Highborne descended races.)
Night Elves grow their housing by coaxing wood from the trees instead of chopping them down. Their dwellings are living things, not dead wood. From what I gather survival is more of a communal affair. And since children are so rare, everyone looks out for them… This includes hyppogryphs whose children are also looked after and protected by the Night Elves. And they in turn, look after Night Elf children as well.
The main responsibility of the Druids are resource management. They keep both wildlife and the night elf population in balance. The maximize the yields of the small gardens that Night Elves keep to supplement their otherwise heavy meat diet. (You can see them doing the same thing in Stormwind to help feed the refugee population.)
There’s as many hewn and mortar houses and structures than tree houses. Astranaar, Dolanaar, Estulan, Feathermoon, Sylvanaar, Lor’danel, Whisperwind and Edune.
Given the number of settlements and camps this is highly unlikely, and gameplay tells otherwise.
Night Elves depend on Hippogryphs for transportation and combat, therefore its typical they take care of them. Also, Hippogryphs are only found wild in Azshara and Feralas; only two of the eleven Kaldorei areas.
Civilian herbalist do their part. Most druids are concerned about the predator/herbivore balance, the rest is manageable. especially when most Kaldorei settlements are near a body of water and indulges in allot of fishing.
Night Elves aren’t Wood Elves, not even close; although their affinity for nature is beyond most existing civizations, it paints them in the wrong light.