Major npcs don’t follow the same rules as player characters .
Anduin is a priest but wears plate armor .
Thrall is a shaman and wears plate armor .
If you look back on Varian when his sword was 1 sword he was arms and when it splits he is fury .
Also either right after Cata or MoP ( most likely MoP ) in Lore Ashenvale was reclaimed by the Alliance but in game it was still a major contested area .