I don’t think it’s quite that simple, either. Delaryn had more conviction and determination and took more action than almost anyone else during the War of the Thorns, but Elune didn’t intervene to protect Delayrn from Sylvanas’ arrows the way Elune intervened to stay Saurfang’s hand for Malfurion.
Elune is a Goddess of Balance. We can’t expect her to save us from death when the realm she seems to operate in is the savage and sometimes cruel wilds of nature.
We have no reason to believe Elune had anything to do with that.
That was more Staghelm being mentally broken after the illusion of his son was shattered by Malfurion. At least in Leyara’s case, she blamed Malfurion for not protecting his people, so she went full purge mode.
At least they didn’t join the Horde.
We have several reasons to. From Elegy:
- Tyrande was pleading for it like never before. She needed a miracle, something to give the night elves hope as they huddled, a displaced, dispirited, terrified people, surviving by the kindness of their allies.
Tyrande gasped.
Her goddess had heard her.
A single shaft of moonlight pierced the night sky, shining straight down, penetrating the canopy for a brief moment before fading.
There. Her beloved was there. The last hope for the night elves was there.
And Elune was showing her the way.
“Thank you,” she said—half whisper, half sob—as she brought the hippogryph down, praying she was not too late.
From A Good War:
- “You fought well, Malfurion,” Saurfang said. “Rest in honor. You deserve it.”
He lifted his axe. And hesitated. Seconds passed, then whole minutes, and Saurfang could not bring it down.
He felt light and warmth shine upon him from above. It held sorrow, hope, and love. Perhaps this was Elune welcoming Malfurion to the next life. Perhaps that made this acceptable.
But this kill is not mine.
Perhaps it would be honorable to let Stormrage live.
In Sylvanas’s care? It is more merciful to end him now.
Still his axe did not move.
And Sylvanas believes so as well, also in A Good War:
-
Even in this dark hour, they would say, Elune still watches over us.
And that was almost certainly true, wasn’t it? Elune had intervened. Perhaps she had even stayed Saurfang’s killing blow.
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It’s all speculative. Because ultimately, the choice to not kill Malfurion was Saurfang’s, not Elunes.
This part wasn’t speculative:
Than that means the storyline is even more screwed up for Horde players than ever because now the claim is that Saurfang didn’t even have agency in the most important deciding moment of the War of Thorns. I’m inclined to ignore the novellas on this point because there is absolutely NO reflection of this in game. Most likely the author was writing from pre-production material that was excised when the game was actuallly coded.
That’s what happens when you wage war against the mortal avatars of a literal Goddess.
That was also in A Good War, actually:
- Bright light enveloped Saurfang, paralyzing him, making it impossible to twitch a muscle. A mighty blow slammed into his head, throwing him five paces away. He hit the ground hard. The wind left his lungs in a single rush as he tumbled to a painful stop. When he looked up, he saw the light of Elune, in all its fury and beauty.
Tyrande Whisperwind.
She stood above her mate, arms raised, white dress rippling in the soft breeze. A dozen points of Elune’s light hovered over Saurfang’s head, poised for a final blow.
The orc did not move. His head was ringing. Those daggers of light trembled above him.
Struck down by the power of justice? It felt appropriate.
Well, that wasn’t really Elune, that was Tyrande wielding Elune’s light.
And it was AFTER Saurfang had already decided not to finish him off. That is the reason that Tyrande gives for having spared his life. Elune did not save Malfurion, it was Saurfang who spared him when he had him dead to rights.
And Sylvanas, too, in A Good War:
- A miracle granted by the honorable hand of a foolish old orc.
And an overconfident warchief. Best to lay blame where it belonged. This was her mistake as much as Saurfang’s.
Absolutely. but that does not give Elune herself any credit, which is the relevant issue of this thread.
Topic of this thread is Terran Gregory interviews.
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