This is Izzabelle, This character is one of my mains, and if the choice was given to become a Void Elf, and it wouldn’t cost me anything. I would hop on the great grape koolaid bus. Because RP wise I’ve always played her as having been banned from Eversong Woods and Silvermoon because of her obsession with using void magic…
Now to clear up any misunderstandings when I say not cost me anything I mean race changing and faction changing fees
But in this case they’ll probably be more like Alleria, because what turned the former Void Elves into what they’re, was an incident that almost reaped their lives. That wasn’t a transition ritual made with success.
When Alleria trained with Locus Walker most of her powers haven’t turned her into a Void Elf, so makes more sense that newly recruited Void Elves follow Alleria path, since that ritual wasn’t planned or expected to show such results, and we also killed the ethereal that have done the ritual.
We must remember that what happened with the Void Elves, was literally a trap to turn them into ethereals or another form of void creatures. That wasn’t what they’ve been trying to achieve.
Right after the incident happened, we can see Umbric regretting his choices:
I guess I just don’t find how you can say, with a straight face, in a thread that has posed the possibility of High Elves learning Shamanism or Druidism, that those are okay, but the pursuit of power through Void Elves is somehow out of the question.
They’re obviously wielding useful powers. We’re seeing them utilize it in extraordinarily ways, in both incursions and the Battle for Dazar’alor. Alleria and Umbric and Locus Walker have clearly been able to teach enough how to control the downsides.
Why is the idea that some might want to wield those powers so foreign a concept? High Elves aren’t even consistent among their own splintered groups. Some have sworn off magic completely. Some have always been in Dalaran studying their magics.
How can you have both an expansive, yet still narrow, view of High Elves?
What are the drawbacks to Shamanism/Druidism?
Drawbacks. Logical thinking.
If I’m sitting here looking at Flavored Water, Mineral Water, and Tea, and you come up to me and offer me water from a puddle in an Industrial Park, what on Earth would POSSIBLY make me want to try your water?
It’s very simple. I think High Elves would look at the facts and go, “That’s a bad deal,” when it comes to becoming a Void Elf. For one thing, they can wield the Void just fine without getting blue skin and tentacles. For another, it’s dangerous, so why do it in the first place? And for the last point, there are alternatives out there that are infinitely safer and just as potent.
This isn’t a narrow view of the potential of High Elves. I’m literally asking why any High Elf should want to become a Void Elf, when there is literally no good reason to do so.
And I’m saying there’s equally little motivation to try a hand at Shamanism or Druidism, which they haven’t felt compelled to pursue for their thousand year history. Drawbacks or not, why bother as a High Elf?
They are elves of magic. Their prowess and expertise is magic. I don’t think for some High Elves to be curious about a form of magic being wielded by their kin, in the Alliance, especially by one of their greatest heroes, to see if they can be taught, is out of character for High Elves.
Again, I feel you’re trying to stress the negatives a little too much here, and keep all High Elves within this noble bubble that I simply don’t agree they are in.
Void is highly curruptive and dangerous and few would use it even if given the option. Druidism and Shamanism is not.
The only elves that have the potential to become Druids or Shaman are the ones who completely gave up Arcane Magic. Because they have close ties with the Wildhammer Dwarves, live near an Emerald Dream portal, and are more nature oriented then any of the other groups shown.
They also scream at you to kill your family and even Alleria says they are no blessing.
They are literally the worst of any magic school.
I find necromantic and fel magics just as bad, and we’ve seen High Elves do both of those, also.
The fact is, Void Elves are a balancing role for the Alliance.
From the Senior Narrative Designer’s own mouth, they were made to give some future dark side storyline potential to the Alliance, including potentially roping in some other High Elves.
Yeah, High Elves choosing to become like the former Void Elves makes no sense at all, since what the Void offers isn’t much better than what you can get with Fel. Tbh, I think what the Void offers is worse that the Fel itself, and the High Elves that stayed as Alliance rejected the fel magic, in any form.
Sargeras madness and his Burning Crusade against the Void by using the Fel, kinda proves that.
It isn’t clear if one can undergo the transformation Void Elves went through, as we’ve established it was an accident in an interrupted ritual. Whether they are researching a way to repeat this to recruit new members has yet to be seen.
But if you’re looking for some lore justifications to grant Void Elves “High Elf-like customizations”, recruiting High Elves and teaching them Void stuff is how I would start that process.
You know, I can see where you’re coming from by “wanting to increase their power” and such… but what about civilians?
Why would say- a High elf seamstress become a Void elf? Sure she’d gain power, but she’s a seamstress. Why would she trade her normal life for a bit of power and constant maddening whispers?
What about children? At what age are they ready?
What about offspring? Do Void elves risk having children that go mad and lose themselves to the void?
Isn’t there?
As has been said, the High Elves of Quel’Danil have abandoned the practice of magic. This creates a hole in their lives, in their culture, as magic has been a central part of their lives. It is natural to seek to fill that vacancy, and when you have allies nearby such as the Wildhammers, and a portal to the Emerald Dream with Night Elves who have been thawing relations with the High Elves, then the potential is there.
High Elven Shamans and Druids offer something unique to the Thalassian race. High Elven Shamans actually offer something unique to elves, period, as they’d be the only Elven shamans.
There aren’t any draw backs to either of those powers, and for the Quel’Danil High Elves, those powers replace Arcane and offer them a new outlet for their chosen path forward.
It’s an interesting twist that doesn’t really fly in the face of what the Alliance’s High Elves are.
The Void, however, is covered by the Void Elves (former Blood Elves, which should already turn the High Elves away from it), and is nothing that High Elven Priests couldn’t already tap into as is.
Well just to note, it would only be one fee. A faction change automatically includes a race change. I get that you’d rather not spend anything but just figured I’d clarify that its only one fee not two.
Because shamanism or druidism is a personal choice, not a race-wide transformation. Sure, having shamans would influence people around it, but it’s totally different than infusing everyone with Void.
Shamans and druids do not need to fear if their children will be born healthy, for instance. And elves who wouldn’t like to pursue such paths are not obligued to do so.
Being a void elf is not a career choice. It’s a life changing decision that risks your health and sanity.
Thank you, that is nice to know. I actually thought you had to pay for each.
Also OT question for you, where did you get the idea for your name? When I see the name Nicodemus, it reminds me of the animated movie The Secret of Nimh. You don’t have to answer I’m just curious is all.
Oh wow, how did I miss that? I love that movie!
An excellent point, and one which brings up a thought.
A lot of people point out that the Void Elves need to expand, that they need a civilian population to support them, and while this isn’t wrong, the fact remains, this civilian population does NOT need to be Void Elves, and in fact, emphatically should NOT be Void Elves.
Why do we need a Void Elf Grocer?
Why do we need a Void Elf Farmer?
Why do we need a Void Elf Skinner?
Why do we need a Void Elf Miner?
Why do we need a Void Elf Janitor?
Why do we need a Void Elf Sailor?
Why do we need a Void Elf Merchant?
Like Alamara said above, becoming a Void Elf has absolutely no tangible benefit for the lives of Civilians.
…why do we care about civilians in the context of talking about races recruiting, especially regarding Void Elves, a “crack elite squad” (Ion’s words), that are being used almost exclusively as weapons?
I think you’re trying to make the discussion “Why would all High Elves do this?”, when the point I’m trying to get across is, “It’s not out of character if some High Elves do this.”
Considering the Void Elves origins I wonder how they control for that since the people who are going to want to join are the crazy ones?
But like… to be fair… so are the people who become Void Elves in the first place.
I’m going to chalk it up to communication error for the most part. My comment about Civilians was more regarding conversation that happened a few days ago in here. I believe Talendrion had been arguing that the Void Elves need infrastructure, and absorbing the High Elves is a legitimate method.
My issue with High Elves becoming Void Elves is that there still isn’t a reason to do so. We can have High Elves wielding the Void without becoming Void Elves just fine. They’re Shadow Priests. Becoming a Void Elf clearly means the transformation, the blue skin/tentacle-hair, and whispers assaulting you whether you want it or not. It might also include guaranteed damnation upon death, if Zarra’s comment about, ‘Going into the Void,’ when you kill her on Island Expeditions is any indication.
I think Zarra’s comment is just a comment on the afterlife in the setting though.