(Disclaimer; All of the information below that is not first noted as ‘Headcanon’ is not of my creation and the links have been sourced below to the various articles I used while researching. The only thing I claim to be mine is the guide itself, the ‘Headcanon’ blurbs, and additional other commentary on the side. I highly recommend you go to the actual sources and read them for yourself once done with this guide. Any and all criticism is welcome and will be taken into account.)
Author’s Note- Hello! Friendly background guy here. This is mainly a personal project to put something out there and maybe, just maybe, capture something from the once-glorious period of time on the forums that was when we posted guides to RP and the like, and allowed further spread. It’s an outline so that others don’t have to struggle figuring out it entirely on their own- to give others a boost where I had failed to. However, most of this will, of course, be stuff you already knew if you’re familiar with the race- in which case, welcome still! In any case, young or old, experienced or new, I present to you; Korlith’s Nightborne RP Guide.
Table of Contents
I. Who are the Nightborne?
II. Social Hierarchy
III. Culture & Children
IV. IC and OOC Classes
V. Personality Types
VI. Headcanon Prompts
VII. Sources
I. Who are the Nightborne?
Ah, first, an introduction to the dark-purple-skinned race known as the ‘Shal’dorei’ - the ‘Nightborne’. Every good guide had one of these back in the day, so I figure we might as well get started here as well.
The Nightborne were originally Kaldorei that lived in the ancient city of Suramar, 10,000 years ago. Y’know, before the demons decided ‘Let’s have a party’ and decided to try n’ invade everything. The most notable part they played was on two fronts- one, being former hosts to the main Temple of Elune, and two, heading off a small ambush of Legion soldiers that effectively saved the war. However, as the sundering begun, they made a desperate bid- surrounding their illustrious city of Suramar in an Arcane Shield to protect them from the Sundering outside.
Due to the inability to see outside their bubble, really, most of the Night Elves were led to believe that the world had been torn apart- all except for their home. Without the gall to open the shields, they remained within- derived of both moonlight and sunlight, and the energies of both which the Blood/High/Night elves thrive upon naturally- they turned to the Nightwell, a source of magical power in the city’s heart. Over time, they became mutated- skin becoming -truly- purple and eyes turning from silver to a faint blue-violet, until finally, you have the mana-runed former mana-addicts you play today- Nightborne.
I did mention ‘Former’. You see, recently, the Legion decided to invade. Again. This time, looking for artifacts named ‘Pillars of Creation’- one of which residing in Suramar, also being the core of the Nightwell- an item named ‘The Eye of Aman’thul’. The Legion decided to not-so-politely knock on their door to propose an allegiance- that, or a siege. The leadership, seeing no other probable option, opened the bubble to their new demonic allies, while booting out any rebellious elves who didn’t agree with this.
Oh yeah. This was a thing- they were addicted to magic. So much, in fact, that if they didn’t get their fix, they would start to devolve into these…shriveled, zombie-like creatures known as withered, who have a penchant for mana and a not-so-marvelous mind. They run around mindless for short, indeterminate periods, before eventually dying due to the starvation of mana taking hold. When Suramar wanted to boot out criminals, well, they were…exiled from the bubble. Without a source of ancient mana, or Nightwell Juice, they quickly shriveled and died.
One of the higher-ups, one familiar elf going by the name of ‘First Arcanist Thalyssra’, was booted for trying to incite similar rebellion. However, she was met with a far more sparing fate- this one, being that the hero/champion/player character, YOU, managed to find her in time and keep her from withering. She gives you her story, and you start to hatch plans.
Over time, with the Horde, Alliance, and Kirin-Tor’s aid, The Nightborne began to band together against their demonic kin- and, sensing the uprise in those unloyal, the Legion began a different sort of indoctrination- inducting those typically dubbed to as ‘Felborne’. They got rid of their magical addiction (unless you count being addicted to having overwhelming power), and empowered them- while also keeping them enthralled under the Legion’s command. These were typically Legion loyalists among the Suramarian Nobles, and were typically preformed in a ritual involving a Doomguard exhaling Fel onto a Nightborne. However, due to the abundance of soldiers given the Felborne name, it’s also possible that those simply in the military were given this boost as well if they chose to serve the demon’s kind.
But, over a lengthy, stretching, painful amount of weeks and mana spent keeping Thalyssra and her friends- a Chief Telemancer Occuleth and one Arcanist Valtrois (Vahl Twah - I don’t get it, they must be the french elves) - you finally pull together an Assault on the Nighthold. Together, you siege, break down the defenses, boot Gul’dan out- there was a plot involving Illidan, but that’s not what’s important here. What IS important is that the city is now under the Dusk Lily’s - Thalyssra’s political faction- control again.
There are brief mentions of one of your other friends you make along the way, Silgryn, on Argus, but otherwise there isn’t much in the way of Nightborne after that- UNTIL-
Battle for Azeroth. The Horde is scrounging for allies and resources wherever it can find them, and you just so happen to be an appealing option in this case to lead as an Ambassador. Given that you’ve met the requirements (Suramar’s Main Story completed, and Exalted with the Nightfallen), you’ll be given a quest chain- in which you attend Thalyssra’s estate. Evidently, they hadn’t received the warmest of welcomes from their Kaldorei cousins. Thus, you’ve been pushed into the Horde’s arms, for the sake of finding a new home. Fascinating, isn’t it all?
Headcanon- While in the bubble, there was likely a desparity of events that happened between those 10,000 years of then to now. They likely had their own personal holidays, the occasional thief or greater travesty- you know. The city stayed lively. Feel free to make some minor events, I’d say, as long as they don’t take too much note within the realms of the lore’s bounds. For example, my own Nightborne (Korlith-WyrmrestAccord) was involved in a small magical display gone wrong that caused some damage to both himself and others- smaller things like that that, sure, might’ve happened, but would’ve just been another generic newspaper headline.
II. Social Hierarchy
PHEW! Got the big ol’ Backstory out of the way. That always takes a bit of wind to go over, when recounting something- at least in my experience. But nonetheless, a good backstory is crucial to understanding not only a people, but also a single person.
Now, as you’ve noticed while questing through Suramar- there’s a difference in classes in some areas, between both High-class and low-class citizens. The Lower Classes were those that hung closer to the western end of Suramar, while the Higher-Ups clung to the right area- only really visiting the commons when making public appearances, or having their fair share of poking at the Bazaar. Whatever the case, there definitely was a sort of divide- and how you handle this is your own thing.
For example, a rogue would be far more likely to be involved in the lower-classes- getting used to slinking around, avoiding guards to steal different treasures to secure his next Arcwine fix. Or, a common citizen would go about providing services- perhaps taking jobs working as servants for the higher-ups, or working in the Arcfruit Orchards. A noble would likely go into the profession of being Roguish if he was either bored, or later-on, might have desired, say…to go and become a sort of masked vigilante against the Legion’s control, causing minor chaos. Vice-Versa on Mages or Warlocks, in these scenarios- the higher-ups are more likely to be magisters and magic-related roles. The lower-classes might have gotten their hands on some more simple tomes, or they might’ve been taught what was utilitarian when they signed up to fight for a military of either side- but nonetheless, they likely wouldn’t know much. (For instance, again, my own nightborne- only reason he knows magic despite being a Low-Class is that his mother was a mage and left behind a lot of notes for him to improve upon after her passing. Even then, at best, he’s at a ‘Medium’ level.)
Keep in mind who your Nightborne was before venturing out in the world- as, of course, you can either have them try and keep religiously to their views of how their society interacts with the world, or undertake the more ‘equal’ view that the horde seems to promote- you know, an undead is worth as much as a troll, and so on.
Headcanon- I like to think that the Social Differences were pretty divided, seeing as how the Nightborne seem to be based effectively to be ‘French Elves’- and it only got worse with the Legion’s arrival. The lower-classes live in fear and only barely participate with the higher-ups unless it was for a holiday or public display, for instance. Beyond that, I like to imagine a small sort of gap among the Nightborne’s people- you know, for those who are left conflicted between ‘Do I stare my boss in the eyes and nod or do I go back to cowering?’ or ‘Do I treat them like people or are they still servants?’- that sort of thing.
III. Culture & Children
The Nightborne, from…what I can gather, have a pretty rich culture. We just don’t know about most of it. To be safe, I would stick primarily to most Kaldorei rituals- mainly in that one should be cautious, perhaps somewhat haughty- I mean, these are elves that never had to overcome their pride to learn druidism (but who are we kidding? They’re arrogant, too), but they’re likely to still be humbled completely by the recent events surrounding their kin.
Whatever the case is, one of the most prominent themes I’ve been able to find is how the Shal’dorei choose to respect their environments and the world around them- and I can sum most of it up in a quote from Occuleth. “Respect magic, or it will break you.” - This by itself can be interpreted in one of two ways- either that they have a respect for magic as a whole in general, when not being gluttons of power, or that they have a natural respect for all of their sources of life- which seems to be the case to me (except for that one archeological team in Xibala, that doesn’t exactly seem very respectful of ye olden bones!) I mean, it takes a certain level of dedication to keep an orchard fermenting with fruit for near to 10,000 years on it’s own, as well as the different lush gardens they kept in control. All in All, it sounds like a pretty tight deal.
As for children…well. Elven Children alone are usually rather rare, and beyond that, so are half-breeds- which shouldn’t even be a thing, mind you- so keep that in mind, first-off. In traditional Kaldorei culture, children are raised communally- mainly in that the entire group of Kaldorei in an area watch over the children and work to properly raise them alongside their peers. Once or twice, this hasn’t been the case- say the odd hermit couple out in the woods, or the lone parent raising their child who’s too scarred to go back to Society. In any case, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that this had carried over into the Shal’dorei community.
Headcanon- I personally like to think that, even though that’s the case, they seperated into family units more similar to the single father-mother archetype, as from seeing the different children around the city sticking close to their specific parents - usually their mother, if not other groups of children to sing songs (only to have that one guy ruin it by saying ‘OUTSIDE LIES DOOM’). It’s the angle I took for my character, and typically the community doesn’t know all that much about the mating and child-raising, so…again. My headcanon, as well as a suggestion for a possible idea on your part.
IV. IC and OOC Classes
There’s a fair bit of difference between your…say, your Shal’dorei Mage and your Human Mage- I mean, sure, the human has a fair bit of practice under a short lifetime under his belt, but the Nightborne is typically 1) called an ‘Arcanist’ or something akin to that, and 2) has at least a good hundred years under theirs. Thus, making them different- as they learned the SHAL’DOREI way of doing things, instead of the human ways. Here, I’m going to put up a list of the different classes and possible translations, as well as a bit of background in some blurbs on different items.
Warrior-
Traditionally, every culture has warriors. People who march on the front lines and hit people with big sticks or knives. They, of course, have traditional warriors, but also-
-Spell-Fencers, or dual-wielders of magical weaponry- or even just one blade.
-Spellblade- Typically wielders of bigger weapons who use magic for mobility or an extra edge to their sweeping strikes.
-Saberguard- Saber Riders and Elite Guardians of Suramar.
-Arbiter- Big Juggernuggers that take hits and dole ‘em out.
Nightborne, by nature, are magical- and thus, could likely infuse their regular actions with a small amount of magic for an extra ‘oomph’. Food for thought.
Rogue-
Of course, there’s the pickpocket from before, as well as the Vigilante. But there’s also-
-Spell-Fencers- again, but of the more…artsy, type, instead of the brutal.
-Saberguard
-Arcblade
-Assassin - Who doesn’t need dirt work done?
Hunter-
-Archers - Everyone needs a good bow n’ arrow at times!
-Saberguard- Likely someone who calls in their mount to assist with fighting, if anything- in one way or the other.
Monk-
These guys are pretty much one of two categories. One- a new trainee that’s being taught the way of being a monk by the Pandaren in the Palace, or two, an elf that developed their own style of fighting between tapping into magic and swift, brutal strikes.
-Tiger-Style Monk
-Ox-Style Monk
-Serpent-Style Monk
-Crane-Style Monk
-Spell-Fencer - Though, less on the ‘fencing’ aspect.
-Arcfist (?) - My own little thing that I think is a common term, seen it around. Just a monk with Arcane instead of Chi.
Priest-
This one is a bit tricky. Nightborne -have- been shown to have some dominion over some schools of magic that previously required a bit of devotion- i.e. the Botanist boss in Suramar, with the schools of Druisim- so you could do some sorta’…Light-Mage thing. However, another option could be some disciple of Elune- y’know, keeping it alive in a small faction or digging up some old texts and worshipping Elune based on those. Thirdly, the next option for a more…er. Shadow-Oriented thing is, of course, insane cultists (Might be interesting with Nightborne?), or even some sort of Shadow-Mage character bent on dominating this new, darker power.
-Lightmage/Light-Bender
-Elune Priest
-Shadowmage
-Shadow Cultist
-Some other mage - I guess you could also go the ‘just another mage’ route, but…that’s a bit…iffy.
Warlock-
Oh boy, these guys. If you’ve got a warlock, you’re either of one of two backgrounds- one, you were among the nobility supporting the Legion, or at least somewhere in there helpin’ ‘em out, and now that they’re gone- you’re clinging to your magic for the sake of aiding your people. Or, Secondly- you took what I call the ‘Demon Hunter’ perspective, taking their magic to use against them. Whatever the case, you’re…not the best person, most likely- but you’ve got an iron discipline to keep you from the temptation of Fel.
-Warlock
-Summoner
-Dark Arcanist
-Felborne- perhaps you took in the Fel as a Nightborne and tried to use it further. You hide your form with Illusion magic, but are nonetheless bent on power-mongering.
Mage-
Ah. The classic and final archetype for the Shal’dorei- The Mage. These are pretty varied but mostly obvious- you tap into the natural saturation of magic within you, knowledge collected and techniques perfected over thousands of years, as well as the fabric of the world and reality itself to weave devastating spells both beneficial and disruptive.
-Arcanist
-Battle-Arcanist - Effectively a battle-mage. Front-lines type caster.
-Telemancer
-Pyromancer
-Magistrix/Magister - A more…refined, mage. Closer to being a master of a certain school- perhaps even two.
-Cryomancer
V. Personality Types
Now. Elves. How do they function? …no, really. Elves in Warcraft have different mental functions from your average human- they percieve things differently and in sometimes stranger, sometimes more simpler ways. And, once that idea is ingrained into your head, you can fully begin.
I’ll be basing these mainly on another guide I’ll be linking in the description- a guide from times long past on how to RP a Night Elf (though, that’s changed in recent days with Teldrassil, wouldn’t you say?). Of course, edits will have been made, but…for the mostpart? It’s just your average set of stereotypes- mainly ranging on a bar from ‘Traditional’ to ‘Explorative’.
-Traditional-
On the far end of the Traditional-Explorative spectrum, these elves- first and foremost- Nightborne Supremacists. They believe that, as old elven arrogance goes usually, they are the pinnacle of perfection- perhaps regarding the Kaldorei or Sin’dorei with vague respect, but nonetheless sticking to the belief that they are the top-dogs of the world still. They’re arrogant, can range from both patient to impatient, and believe in doing things ‘The Suramar Way or No Way at all’. Guns? Axes? Those are all so loud, barbaric. Shamanism? Druidism? Why should you have to worship power when you can outright command it? They believe their way- their people’s way- is the best above all, and will rarely acknowledge another of the same race unless it’s absolutely necessary. They’re more likely to be older elves, as well as nobles- perhaps even some old remainders of the Nightborne allied with the Legion.
-Balanced-
These elves are…somewhere in the middle. They accept the Horde as their new home, but aren’t exactly too keen to be setting foot into it- after all, there’s the comfort of home! Why leave it? They regard the factions of both the Alliance and Horde with likely a tad of respect- I mean, they -did- play a part in Liberating them from the Legion- and are more than likely grateful for such. The idea of foreign technology in the form of the Goblin’s inventions and the thought of new magics and forms to conquer- Monks, Priests, and the like- as well as a new world to study is also an enticing thought- enough to press some of them out into the world and start exploring on their own. For the more homely elves, however, they’ll likely set out to explore… and end up spending the majority of their time in either Orgrimmar or Silvermoon unless they make an effort to do something else. They can come from a fair share of everyone in the city.
-Explorative/Curious-
Now. These elves are straight-up fascinated with the idea of a world outside of their ancient bubble-city. They love the idea of wandering out under the banner of the Horde, or just flat-out anyone for that matter, and fighting for a better future on the behalf of their future. The highbornes that find themselves in such a position might be able to fit in a sort of ‘Ambassador’ role, if they even chose so- wandering around different environments, ontaking tasks, and representing their people as a whole. These are the elves more likely to delve into riding wolves and the like, more likely to take to sneaking through back alleys with poison-coated daggers or taking lessons in fighting from an Orcish Veteran. They hunger with curiousity, and the world is only their appetizer. These elves can come from somewhere along the lines of the lower-folk to somewhere at the very top of the Middle Class.
VI. Headcanon Blurbs
This is mainly just a short combination of headcanon thoughts and the like that I’ve plugged in to my RP experience- maybe you’ll find something and take something away from it too, who knows.
-Given as Female Night Elves ritually tattoo their faces as a coming-of-age ritual, I would say it wouldn’t be unreasonable to believe that the Nightborne do something similar with their tattoo’s. However, given how much of their magic works, the tattoo’s could serve a double purpose- perhaps the facial tattoo’s for both as a sign of maturity, and the body tattoo’s as a source of reinforcement for whatever task they may choose.
-It’s currently unclear as to the current lifespan of your average Manasaber- however, I’d like to imagine that they’re at least -somewhat- extended due to being magic-infused alongside their elven kin. I’d at least pop a couple hundred years on the purple cats.
-As far as their native language, Shalassian, goes, well- It’s a dialect, just like Thalassian, of the Elven Root Language of Darnassian. That being said, if you’re a mage, say- or have the Tongues addon, a vague understanding of Thalassian or Darnassian might be something to boast, as it’s likely just a swap-around of different vowels and word beginnings.
-Holidays were definitely a thing to keep people entertained when in a bubble, you know- as well as celebrations and the like. I like to imagine that on occasion, there’d be a big festival or celebration of some sort in the central square similar to the party in the Midnight Court dungeon.
-As for how separate the classes were in Suramar- well. You can look at them right-out and identify which is which from the environments. However, I also like to imagine that the Rites of Tal’ashar came into effect- those in Nobility challenging the lesser peasants to duels that upset them to make examples. Thus, gave reason for more fear and/or respect among the noble-to-commoner populace.
-Something you could totally do, I’d say, is make a Nightborne that doesn’t exactly fall in line with the horde- say, they were curious about the mages in the flying city above their own and decided to try and join the Kirin Tor to remain neutral, or even smaller offshoots joined the Alliance and act as spies among their kin. Beyond that, given the right equipment, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for a Kaldorei to disguise themselves as a Nightborne for that reason.
VII. Sources of Information
So. These lovely links will lead you to where I got most of my information. Some are old forum guides from times past that still remain accurate, or at least good to reference- some are Wowpedia articles. Nonetheless- I hope they’re enjoyable reads, should you check them out!
Old WoW Forums-
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‘Night Elf Roleplay Guide, Version 2.’ - Melyria
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‘A Guide to Roleplaying a Night Elf character’ - Aldranath
Videos-
How to Roleplay Nightborne! (WoW RP Guide by Queenvaru) - By Queenvaru.
Wowpedia-
-Night Elves
-Nightborne
-Nightborne (Playable)
-Magical Addiction
-Highborne
External Sources-
rpheaven.or[]g - ’ [RP Guide] How to roleplay a Nightborne ’ by AmandaSZ
(Mainly this as well as the ‘glory days’ of RP guides caught my attention. I’m not the first, and damn, compared to this I don’t think I’m the best either.)
Note- The Forums have a weird setup where I can’t post direct links, so…yeah. That’s a thing. But I still put forth my effort to guide you right!