San’layn should be at best BASED on Blood Elves, I wouldn’t half-bake this AR, or race, however players can get access to it. I’d play a Horde SL, or S’L, … I think SL would be easier to type.
As far as other ideas, I’d figure year long Halloween Blood Elf gives the right vibe as a San’layn example. Basically, goth BE with a lot of dark hues, colors, and outfits that look like they belong to the Halloween time of year would go FAR with me.
I’d also like to figure that hair colors would be important. It might be dyed, however San’layn with Blue, Purple, Red, Black, Deep Blood Red, maybe a Red-Rose Red, although I’d debate this one, might be dyed too.
Still, I figure blue or green glowing eyes, start with Green for most San’layn, maybe a quest for blue, and change the game so both NE and BE eyes can be discernably different colors despite the glow coming from them.
That way, the BE / HE / VE divide can be addressed somehow meaningfully in game so that once done well, BE is Horde, HE / VE and if need be HE & VE can be Alliance, and the only difference is… allegiance. At least done well, along with the above mentioned quest chains to unlock your toon can go quest as the other faction might match up okay-ish.
I realize this is a touchy subject, so while I’m still percolating the idea itself, basically the idea is that BE’s, VE’s, and HE’s are all cousins, while SL’s are the ones that decide to never leave Halloween each year.
The general kernel of the B/V/H E’s would be that the race is mostly one large family, and those who hold the Horde banner are BE’s, the other parts of the family that support the Alliance are the VE’s and HE’s. So any faction change should be free and also the quests to unlock dual faction status would be intended to greatly help the character out long term.
I guess not shoehorning this thought into the game is going to be needed. I figure making it a quest line to show players the why, that BE’s are Horde, VE’s and HE’s if we ever get that far are Alliance, or just roll HE’s into VE’s and avoid the headache that is the call for HE’s as their own race. With just B/VE’s as the two around, that way people can quest or faction change as they alone choose. Again, for free for said faction change.
Hm… Ideas welcome here.
My initial take away on the dual VE/BE family being one large group would have a quest line where one relives the history of the BE’s, VE’s and HE’s, and then ends up explaining how the family as a whole has now over time settled into the BE’s on Horde and VE/HE’s on Alliance. This way, people that are asking for HE’s can see how the culture shifted. And yes, Silvermoon would be a faction neutral city for BE’s and VE’s, however some others that quest enough to get high faction standing would be treated as honorary BE/VE’s there.
I’m just mostly drawing a blank on what it means to provide meaningful examples of how the BE’s and VE’s realign into one big elf family. Low numbers comes to mind, the BE’s treat all VE’s as a bit too wild with their trust of Void abilities, thus why the VE’s are Alliance, while the BE’s may be a bit more lax and more trusting of VE’s that are more like the HE’s of old, and thus closer to BE’s in the current era, thus allowing the HE VE’s the chance to more openly do stuff in Silvermoon and most BE lands.
As far as VE’s, I’d figure they think they have the Void under control as a friend, and perhaps they do. Exploring that in game as the VE’s continue to advance and train with their Void powers would be a chance to treat and really give the VE’s a lore chance to shine on their own. BE’s and their take on it might be a bit more concerned with Fel and Nature magic, along with the more normal Arcane and its pursuits.
San’layn would be a welcomed cousin to the BE’s, and the VE’s might see them as the more DH esque side of the race, the ones that either can’t or won’t leave All Hallow’s End each year, for both what they are and what they do…
Food for thought…
Edit: If I WERE to add HE’s, I think it’d be as a race free to choose like the Pandaren, so start as neither, then choose either A or H, however at doing so, the quest chain to adventure as the two factions would be available as a quest to get for later. That way, in my mind, it would seem the HE’s would be more evenly split between the factions, however having the full notice of being free to go earn the right to quest as either faction, or at times as both factions, would certainly help the game overall. It would also make things easier to establish cross faction groups and raids, for any content.
This should only aid the game as long term it looks like Cross Faction parties, raids and other content could be made where combined raids might actually just do better with CF forces, and I’m thinking places like raids where having the players of both factions working together may result in more progress on all ends. Combined H/A raid groups pressing content is “just” something that to me seems like time only until it happens.
