Well, that is the perspective of the High Elves.
Problem is.
The Blood Elves definitely, and everyone would know it, had a hand in securing the Sunwell. The neutral force which collaborated with the Alliance heroes who made sure Kil’jaeden did not get through, was a force comprised of Blood Elves and Draenei, while the High Elves themselves were largely sitting on their hands throughout the entirety of the story.
Not only that, they also abandoned their homeland in the first place, and left their people to rot in Quel’thalas - which they would also have known.
I do see your point - I just disagree that it is a thought that anyone could possibly have considering all that have happened after so many years.
Quite… if the High Elves did not hear of the Alliance’s invasion of Quel’thalas, then they also did not hear of the exile of whatever else had happened in Quel’thalas. They would know that the land is destroyed, they would eventually come to learn the fate of the Blood Elves. But that is likely not a one sided story they would learn then. Unless Alliance propagandists are strong.
Also, Outland was shut off until TBC, and we also learn that the Blood Elves first learned of Kael’thas’ betrayal when they arrived in Shattrath, so the news from Outland to Azeroth did not move that fast.
Basically, I think it is fair to presume that the High Elves know that they were entirely in the wrong in the entire conflict. Disregarding a reasonable and fair exile to most High Elves, beyond those who ended up in Quel’lithien, the Blood Elves have largely been courteous, friendly, and unwilling to engage in further hostility with the High Elves, whereas the opposit have not exactly been the case.
But you may be right, it is fitting for any villain in a story to refuse their own wickedness. And as I tend to say, the High Elves are less so a people, and more so just villains in the blood elves’ story - that is why every involvement of the High Elves in the overarching story, involves them being a wall for the Blood Elves to overcome. And before we turn to Suramar… their entire presence was to clarify two things.
High Elves are unjustifiably antagonistic towards Blood Elves, aka, villains in the Blood Elves’ story, and Vereesa proves the point by having tried to kill Rommath several times.
That High Elves are just pointy-eared humans and not really a people.
But I think not even Blizzard have realized that this is what they turned the High Elves into.
Which is more or less what I was discussing. The High Elves are not omniscient. They do not know what the Blood Elves suffered. It’s why they cannot contemplate why the Blood Elves joined the Horde, and why they cannot fathom why the Blood Elves would stay a part of the Horde. The Void Elves themselves are proof in action that the Blood Elves would be welcomed back into the Alliance, regardless of the past.
It is entirely based on the experiences individuals have had over those years. High Elves in the Alliance either live civilian lives (in which case their livelihood and protection stems from the Alliance), or are soldiers of the Alliance (in which case they’ve witnessed first hand the atrocities the Horde has taken).
Lor’themar once said the Alliance’s actions push the Blood Elves deeper into the arms of the Horde. The opposite is no less true. Why should a High Elf ever think a Blood Elf has a point, after the War of Thorns, which was a step-by-step recreation of the Fall of Quel’Thalas, in which the part of the Scourge was played by the Horde, including the Blood Elves themselves?
The idea that High Elves would look at everything the Horde and Blood Elves have done since BC and think, “You know, maybe they have a point,” is outright ludicrous. That’s my opinion, mind you, but I stand by it.
Blood of the Highborne made it clear that Rommath was in contact with Kael’thas the entire time he was in Quel’Thalas. I would imagine this is Lor’themar’s, “Get out of Moral Atrocities Free,” card. Any actions Lor’themar took that would be morally reprehensible, such as the exile (potentially), can be pushed onto Kael’thas in part if not in full.
This largely ignores Horde quests victimizing the High Elves, constantly. That was a key point of the Quel’Lithien Lodge’s ire towards Lor’themar. Keep in mind, this all happens in a time when the High Elves have no reason to even try to see matters from the Blood Elf perspective.
I might add that, “courteous, friendly, and unwilling to engage in further hostility with High Elves,” is a stretch. In the Quel’Delar questchain, when Lor’themar tries to take the sword for himself, the Blood Elves immediately turn on the High Elves, and surround their representative with drawn blades. That’s not, “courteous, friendly, and unwilling to engage in further hostility.” Then there’s the Silver Covenant coming to Quel’Thalas to answer the Ranger-General’s request for aid and being mouthed off to by a messenger sent by Lor’themar all but telling them to GTFO.
Certainly Thalen Songweaver had no compunctions about the deaths of untold numbers of High Elves at Theramore when he helped destroy it.
I believe you’re misconstruing one olive branch extended by Lor’themar, and maybe some dialogue by the reliquary’s leader to be an indication of Blood Elven attitudes toward High Elves at large. There are many, many more examples to the contrary.
I’m reminded of a discussion in another thread… Let me quote it.
Ultimately, the High Elves are victims of the Blood Elves in the story of the Thalassian Elves. Exiled for taking a moral stance, hated for standing by old allies, and frequently attacked by the Blood Elves and their allies. Small wonder that groups of High Elves turned antagonistic and struck back. Every tyrant makes their own worst enemies, as Lor’themar discovered to his great sorrow (until the blame is placed on Kael’thas).
High Elves are as much villains to the Blood Elves as the Bajorans are to the Cardassians in Star Trek. Seems Blizzard may be taking a leaf out of the Star Trek playbook as well, since come Midnight the elven tribes will be, ‘uniting,’ meaning the High Elves will be helping the Blood Elves secure the kingdom.
Can you cite a few examples? I can’t remember these two being in the same room together, let alone Vereesa firing magic arrows at Rommath.
My point is that they can not just know one thing and not know the other.
Like, if they knew of the exile, surely would have heard the news of the Alliance invading Quel’thalas, and surely they are not too stupid to see why the Blood Elves would then choose to ally with the only force that was willing to help them in a dire time of need… when not even the High Elves’ own, appearantly, existing military forces refused to return home to help keep Quel’thalas and its people safe.
That was war of thorns.
Where were the High Elves pre-TBC? We know for a fact that only the Quel’Lithien High Elves were there before the exile.
A huge problem is, either the High Elves know the story or not. They could be fed propaganda, sure, much like how Vereesa probably forcefed Alleria a whole lot of propaganda in Legion.
High Elves could surely have been told: “The Blood Elves joined the Horde so we Alliance had to take care of them” rather than: “The Blood ELves did try to join the Alliance, but we decided it was funnier to betray them, maybe even sabotage a little and diminish their chances of surviving in their own homeland and hey, also invade them just for funsies!”
They were allowed to migrate back to Quel’thalas for a pilgrimage to the Sunwell, that is courteous, friendly, and unwilling to engage in further hostility. Seeing a potential attack on the regent lord from a group that have beforehand demonstrated hostility towards the Blood Elves (Alliance hero and High Elf) yeah, of course they acted in self-defense.
There is the matter of Vereesa and her cousin’s abduction of her children - to which even Vereesa knew that not even the Blood Elves would accept her cousin as one of them. Because Vereesa knew that something like that is not the Blood ELves’ thing.
I dare say, the story more so tells us that the Blood Elves value the lives of their people in entirety. You can try and point to single acts of individual Blood Elves and also acts of self-defense from the Blood ELves… hell, funny thing is. The other branch of thalassian who decided the Horde was too bad for them, and the Alliance was better, also had a huge thing for wanting to risk the safety of High Elves and Blood Elves alike, by insisting to go into a power which could potentially destroy the Sunwell… again… and they did it knowingly.
Only the Quel’lithien High Elves, as far as we know. Other High Elves could have been exiled simply for abandoning their homeland, especially the largest contingent of High Elven military forces (Those who came to be known as The Silver Covenant).
The High Elves, surprisingly, were also never shown to be hated for standing with the Alliance. Just a shame that the High Elves could not reciprocate that feeling and understand why the Blood Elves joined the Horde (as in, the Blood Elves were literally forced to do so, because the Alliance randomly attacked them, for no reason.)
Kirin Tor guards comment that Khadgar has had to step in and stop Vereesa from shooting at Rommath more than once. It happened during the Insurrection questline, appearantly.
There is of course also the Purge of Dalaran, where High Elves, with glee if I may add, tortured and killed Blood Elves… surprisingly, also Vereesa and those under her.
But of course, at the end of the day, the Blood Elves is a Horde race, and we know that the Horde has to get villainbatted.
Depends on the level of militancy they were taking their stance. If they were trying to convince dying elves to not take the easy option to live, that’s not an entirely great thing.
It was one dude, the rest of the Alliance didnt even know/condemned it. Or are you now ok with the Silver Covenant blaming the entire Sunreavers for the act of a few?
And what exactly did you want them to do? Condemn it and likely get tossed out in Scourge infested lands?
When outside of said blurb has there been any discussion about Garithos? Also, this was from one of the higher ups of the Alliance. I really doubt any in the Alliance had any particularly favorable view on them
Being banished is no way in any form remotely close to killing people. What is wrong with you? And the same ones that banished them for not agreeing to Belf ways aren’t the same ones murdered. What a sociopathic pov!
They suffered because the Horde is an evil organization that was hell bent on conquest. Talanji suffered because she joined said organization/supported it.
The Alliance didnt have a choice in the matter. Talanji did have a choice to have remained neutral. She didnt
The Horde has proven time and again to be aggressors. The only good thing to happen so far is the people most responsible for the Fourth War, Sylvanas, Nathanos and Saurfang, are all dead and paying for their crimes.
