Blood elf

For elves in general, see Elf.
The blood elves (or sin'dorei, "children of the blood" in Thalassian — pronounced , or ) are high elves who changed their name after the Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas.Races of World of Warcraft: Blood Elves Their new name is a dirge, referencing both the blood of their many brethren who fell during the Third War, and their royal lineage.Micky Neilson on Twitter What does it mean by "we will take the name of our royal lineage" "Sin'dorei" as the new representation of BE's royal lineage? ""blood elf" - blood as in those who died, blood also as in lineage, bloodline."
 
For nearly 7,000 years, high elven society centered on the sacred Sunwell, a magical fount that was created using a vial of pure arcane energy from the first Well of Eternity. Nourished and strengthened by the Sunwell's potent energies, the high elves' enchanted kingdom of Quel'Thalas prospered within the verdant forests north of Lordaeron. During the Third War, however, the high elves were nearly scoured from Azeroth. Led by the death knight Arthas Menethil, a Scourge army stormed into Quel'Thalas, slaughtering almost ninety percent of the kingdom's population. Arthas then used the mystical Sunwell to resurrect the fallen necromancer Kel'Thuzad, irrevocably tainting the fount in the process. Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider rushed to his homeland's aid, and the survivors of the onslaught were renamed the "blood elves" in honor of their fallen people.The Warcraft Encyclopedia: Blood Elves The tainted Sunwell was destroyed, but the elves had grown addicted to its energies over the years and were left weakened and despondent without them. Kael'thas assured his brethren that he would find them a cure, and left Quel'Thalas in the hands of his regent, Lor'themar Theron, while he traveled to avenge his people and find a way to sate their hunger for magic.
The blood elves strove to rebuild Quel'Thalas and reclaimed much of their land from the Scourge. Kael'thas had assured his people that one day he would return to Quel'Thalas and lead them to paradise, yet time revealed that his promises were nothing more than lies. On Outland, the prince became twisted due to his reliance on fel energy, the dark and corrupting essence wielded by the demonic Burning Legion itself. Unbeknownst to his ally, Illidan Stormrage, Kael'thas also came under the sway of the Legion's commander, Kil'jaeden. The prince ultimately returned to Quel'Thalas, seeking to usher his new master into Azeroth through the defiled Sunwell, though was killed for his treachery before his cataclysmic ambitions could be fulfilled. The draenei prophet, Velen, then used the essence of a darkened naaru to restore the Sunwell as a fount of both arcane and holy energy.
Inspired by the Sunwell's rebirth, the blood elves have since entered into a shining new era in their ancient race's history. Although some elves remain hesitant to abandon their dependence on arcane magic, others have embraced change for the betterment of Quel'Thalas. Despite the numerous tragedies of their past, the blood elves continue to stand strong and endure, tenaciously striving to restore their beloved nation's past glory.Ultimate Visual Guide, Updated and Expanded, pg. 125 Reinvigorated, they fight to protect Quel'Thalas, conquer their magical addiction, and help redeem the soul of their ancient people.Blood Elf intro post-Cataclysm
==Introduction==
Those now known as blood elves were once high elves. With the great power and protection of the Sunwell at their beck and call, the elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas thrived for a strong 7,000 years. Masters of magic, and with a natural affinity for wielding it, the high elves championed the belief that they were the "sun blessed." They basked in the Sunwell's might, using it much like the Highborne they descended from used the Well of Eternity. Life for the high elves changed during the Third War, when King Arthas' Scourge attacked Quel'Thalas and shattered the elven race. The Scourge slew almost 90% of the high elven population, devastating their kingdom, and slaying King Anasterian Sunstrider. His son and heir, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider, was thankfully studying magic in Dalaran at the time of the disaster and quickly rushed to his people's aid. He returned to find Quel'Thalas in ruins, and thirsting for vengeance, gathered the survivors and renamed them "blood elves" in honor of their fallen kin. Prior to the Sunwell's destruction, all high elves were constantly bathed in its magical power. Now bereft of this arcane energy, the elves of Quel'Thalas suffered heavily from terrible withdrawals. Kael'thas worried that they would soon die without another magical source to replace the Sunwell.
Soon, the blood elves clashed with the Scourge and the Amani trolls, who were making inroads into the former elven territory. Lor'themar Theron was commanded to watch over the shattered elven kingdom and look to finding a cure for their addiction, while Kael'thas took a group of the strongest blood elf warriors and spellcasters and joined the Alliance resistance against the Scourge. They were eager to avenge themselves on the undead forces; however, bigotry on the part of the Alliance's commander prevented the human forces from fully utilizing the aid the blood elves could bring to their fight. Due to Grand Marshal Garithos' prejudices, Kael'thas was forced to accept the assistance of Lady Vashj, and her reptilian Naga. When the humans discovered that the blood elves were working with the naga, they were imprisoned and sentenced to death by Garithos, for "conspiring with the enemy". However Kael'thas and his soldiers escaped the prisons of Dalaran with the aid of the naga, who told Kael about Illidan Stormrage, and the possibility of his knowing a way to help them with their magical addiction. This group of blood elves then helped defeat the demon Magtheridon and claimed his Black Temple as their own.
Kael'thas beseeched Illidan for a cure to the blood elves' addiction to magic. Illidan had a different proposal in mind, though: in return for the blood elves' loyalty, he would teach them to drain magic from powerful alternative sources, including demons. It was an offer Kael'thas felt he had to accept; he was certain his people would die without either a cure or a new source of magic. Kael'thas pledged his allegiance to Illidan, who taught several blood elves the techniques he had offered. These teachings spread to the other blood elves in Outland, who were then able to stave off their painful hunger for arcane magic. The prince sent back a master magus named Rommath and several of his magisters, with a message of hope for the blood elves remaining in Quel'Thalas: That one day Kael'thas would return to lead his people to paradise. Rommath has made great progress in teaching the blood elves advanced techniques to manipulate arcane energies, although unlike their brethren on Outland, the blood elves of Azeroth employed this technique only on mana crystals and small mana-bearing vermin, and attributed these teachings to Kael'thas alone - most were unaware of their prince's alliance with Illidan. With renewed purpose, the blood elves rebuilt the city of Silvermoon, though it is powered by volatile magics.5:02 Burning Crusade Behind the Scenes DVD Emboldened by the promise of Kael'thas' return, the weary citizens of Quel'Thalas focused on regaining their strength, even as they forge a new path into an uncertain future.The Story So Far (Burning Crusade)
Following the will of their crazed leader, Kael'thas Sunstrider, the blood elves channeled dangerous, chaotic magicks to transform their sacred Sunwell into a gateway of unspeakable evil. While Kael'thas and his demonic masters were eventually defeated, a different transformation occurred within the Sunwell itself as a dying naaru sacrificed its life essence to reignite the Sunwell as a font of holy energy. Now, the blood elf regent, Lor'themar Theron, sees a new hope on the horizon for his people. Over time, the Sunwell's Light could cure the blood elves of their cursed state, but many still cling to the arcane powers they procured and are hesitant to relinquish them.Blood elf (playable)#Background
==History==
Ten thousand years ago, during the reign of the night elf Queen Azshara, there was an elite magic-using sect known as the Highborne, who dabbled in magics that many other elves considered heretical by drawing upon the power of the Well of Eternity. Fiercely loyal to their queen, the Highborne opened a number of portals under her direction that brought forth the Burning Legion, triggering the War of the Ancients. Sometime after the Great Sundering, most of the surviving Highborne were exiled from Kalimdor and settled in the eastern continent, founding the kingdom of Quel'Thalas. They became known as high elves. During this time, they created the Sunwell, and switched to a diurnal waking cycle. Their purple skin eventually shifted to skintones like that of some humans and dwarves. Some sources imply this was a near-instantaneous transformation that occurred during the Sunwell's creation.Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition, full color Prologue
The elves prospered for thousands of years in their enchanted kingdom, under the rule of the Sunstrider dynasty and the Convocation of Silvermoon. Although they were not without enemies - they constantly warred with a grudging foe, the Amani trolls of Zul'Aman, who had been displaced from the land by the elves' Highborne ancestors - Quel'Thalas stood strong for 7,000 years to come.
During the Third War, Prince Arthas led his army of the Scourge against them, ravaging Quel'Thalas and corrupting the Sunwell. Despite the elves' best efforts, most of the high elven population was eradicated during this conflict. The elven scion, Kael'thas Sunstrider, quickly rushed to the aid of his homeland to rally the survivors. In remembrance of their fallen brethren, they renamed themselves the blood elves, or sin'dorei, and swore to avenge their fallen race. The Sunwell had become tainted with dark magic during the Scourge invasion, and Kael'thas destroyed it to avert another catastrophe - this dark power corrupting and killing the elves. Though he was successful, its destruction manifested a crippling addiction in most of the elves, who had spent most of their lives tied to the Sunwell and suffused by its power. Without the Sunwell to sate them, the elves, addicted to the very power that once built their empire, began suffering from a withdrawal-based lethargy.
Desperate for aid following the Third War, the blood elves joined the Alliance resistance. Kael'thas commanded his regent, Lor'themar Theron, to safeguard the elven homeland, and Halduron Brightwing was named the new Ranger-general of Silvermoon and general blood elf military leader. Kael himself took 15% of the blood elven race (including some of his most powerful and gifted magisters) to join with the Alliance fighting in the equally destroyed Lordaeron. However, this tenuous alliance would not last, and the blood elves came under the bigoted scrutiny of one Grand Marshal Garithos. Garithos, a human who had felt wronged by the high elves' conduct in the past, consistently gave the blood elves either meager tasks beneath their capabilities, or worse, suicidal missions devoid of reinforcements, in order to rid himself of the sin'dorei.Blizzard lore posts
Kael'thas and his forces were offered aid from an unlikely source: the naga under Lady Vashj, who shared a common ancestry with the elves and a common enemy in the Scourge. Out of options, Kael warily accepted her aid, though Garithos scapegoated this decision to put the entire blood elven contingent to death in the Dungeons of Dalaran. Viewing this as outright betrayal, Kael'thas was not so reluctant to accept Vashj's aid again when she offered to assist in his escape.
Prince Kael'thas led his followers to freedom, to the extra-dimensional wastes of Outland, the remnants of Draenor, and pledged allegiance to Illidan Stormrage, who promised to grant them a new source of magic by teaching them to siphon magic from powerful alternative sources, including demons. Together with their allies the naga, Illidan led the blood elves to conquer Outland, gaining in the process the friendship of the nearly extinct Broken. The blood elves then followed Illidan to the Icecrown Glacier in an attempt to destroy the Lich King; however, they were defeated by Arthas, who wounded Illidan, forcing the blood elves and naga to retreat, allowing Arthas to ascend the glacier and merge with the Lich King. During the battles in Northrend, several of the deceased blood elves (including the powerful bearer of Quel'Delar, Lana'thel) were raised into undeath by Arthas, to serve him as his "San'layn". Defeated, Kael's forces returned to Outland, and the prince began walking down a path that would have dire repercussions for all of the blood elves.
===Reclaiming Quel'Thalas===
In Quel'Thalas, the blood elves under Lor'themar Theron and Halduron Brightwing were undergoing their own tribulations. Retaking their homeland seemed a daunting task, as the Scourge was still occupying it in large numbers, and the kingdom was still a wasteland. Weakened by their addiction to magic, the general blood elf populace relied heavily on the Farstriders for protection, who were relatively unaffected by the withdrawal. The essence of the Sunwell, a woman named Anveena Teague, was kidnapped by the great traitor Dar'Khan Drathir (who had sold his people out to Arthas during the Scourge invasion) and brought to Quel'Thalas. Lor'themar and the rangers attempted to avenge the Sunwell's destruction by killing Dar'Khan but were unsuccessful in the face of his dark magic. The blood elves ultimately allied with the blue dragon Kalecgos and his companions, and succeeded in eliminating Dar'Khan for the time being. Lor'themar put Anveena under sin'dorei protection, her status as the Sunwell's mortal avatar to be kept a closely guarded secret.
Kael'thas sent back Grand Magister Rommath and a group of magisters to Quel'Thalas, to spread Illidan's teachings (said teachings Rommath smoothly attributed to Kael) and to reclaim Quel'Thalas with their powerful magic. Invigorated by the formidable new techniques at their disposal, such as forcibly taking the magic and power of arcane-bearing creatures, the blood elves were able to retake much of Quel'Thalas and even restore much of Silvermoon City. The remaining Scourge proved little match for Rommath and the magisters, who quickly went about destroying them and rebuilding the city "almost overnight." Emboldened by the notion of the prince's promised return to lead his people to power and glory, the blood elves began to focus on regaining all of their homeland and their strength to this end.
Invigorated by Rommath's teachings, the elves were able to reclaim their strength and retake much of Eversong Woods. Others were not content with this, and traveled south to the Ghostlands in order to drive the undead from Quel'Thalas. The blood elves were encouraged to deal with their magical addiction sensibly and with good judgment, to walk the line between deficiency and overindulgence.
Having rebuilt much of their kingdom, the blood elves looked to finding new allies. They had once been part of the Alliance of Lordaeron, but the Alliance no longer cared to defend Quel'Thalas. The blood elves were offered aid from an unexpected source: the free-willed Forsaken undead, one of several established powers battling in ruined Lordaeron, reached out to the bewildered and overstretched sin'dorei. The blood elves were initially wary of their intentions, fearing a trick; but the elves eventually acquiesced, as no one else was willing to fight for Quel'Thalas at all.
Since their induction in the Horde, the Forsaken have been working closely with the blood elves to purge the greater phalanxes of Scourge presence from the Ghostlands. Lor'themar Theron was Sylvanas Windrunner's second in command during the Scourge invasion, and many Forsaken were high elves culled from the same battle. Their aid included reinforcements, a number of outposts in and around the reclaimed blood elf territories, and a teleportation device between the Undercity and Silvermoon. Sylvanas claimed to have retained a great love for her homeland and its people.Meeting the Warchief (blood elf)
In addition to their traditional Magisters and Farstriders, the blood elves expanded their power base with the addition of the Blood Knights, a group of errant paladins who wielded their powers through M'uru, a gift Kael had sent them from Outland, from whom the knights could take the Light.
===World of Warcraft===
A few years after the Third War, some blood elves continued to leave Quel'Thalas to travel across Azeroth, such as Ferelyn Bloodscorn joined the ranks of the Argent Dawn,World of Warcraft: Ashbringer: Naxxramas or for their own interests.
An expedition led by Magus Rimtori traveled to Azshara searching for a rune, hiring and later betraying several orcish guards of the Horde.Betrayed (3)
The blood elf Lethtendris was drawn to Dire Maul and created a device to gather magical power that siphoned the energies of the place, in order to satisfy her cravings for arcane magic and ultimately destroy her enemies.Lethtendris's Web Master Telmius Dreamseeker himself was incinerated by Prince Tortheldrin while trying to gain knowledge from the Shen'dralar ancients found within the place.Elven Legends
In the Blasted Lands, Ambassador Ardalan tried to convince the Alliance to put aside their "petty squabbles" with the Horde, and to instead unite with them against the Burning Legion.Petty Squabbles The two siblings Drazial and Lynnore were also found in the Blasted Lands handing out quests to adventurers.
===The Burning Crusade===
The sin'dorei were able to reclaim much of Quel'Thalas, coming under the leadership of Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron, Ranger General Halduron Brightwing, and Grand Magister Rommath. However, new trials appeared on the horizon: the technique of taking magic from external sources resulted in the birth of the "Wretched," a small offshoot of undead-esque, disorganized magical addicts who were unable to keep their withdrawal in check. Their presence became a reminder to the blood elves of the importance of controlling their magical addiction - for if they do not, it will control them. Blood elven adventurers went about putting down a number of the small pockets of Wretched lingering in Eversong.
The blood elves were caught in the throes of constant combat: with the Scourge presence emanating from Deatholme on one hand and continued raids and attacks coming from the Amani trolls, who maintain their own holdings within Zul'Aman on the other. The former threat was ultimately neutralized, thanks to the combined efforts of the sin'dorei Magisters and Farstriders, along with support from the Forsaken. Under direction from leaders within the Ghostlands, this culminated with the eventual battle with and the demise of the Scourge leader, Dar'Khan Drathir, whose head was sent to Regent Lord Lor'themar. Concurrent with failed negotiations with the Alliance, and night elven incursions into Quel'Thalas, Lor'themar began to forge an alliance with the faction his Forsaken allies now belonged to: the Horde. Several ambassadors were sent to and from Silvermoon, and Dar'Khan's death allowed the blood elves to take an equal seat at Warchief Thrall's political table.
With that, Quel'Thalas began to find its footing once again. Rommath and the magisters quickly went about silencing any dissidents speaking against the new direction Silvermoon was taking, and the blood elves enforced what bordered on a totalitarian police state to better keep their people united. With the goal of joining with Prince Kael'thas on the agenda, several blood elves began undertaking pilgrimages to the shattered world of Outland. However, what they expected to find was a far cry from the trials and revelations that awaited them.
Meanwhile, the blood elves in Outland under Prince Kael'thas dispersed—most, such as the powerful Sunfury forces, remained with the prince and took over the mana-rich area of Netherstorm. Others, such as the Eclipsion, traveled to serve Illidan Stormrage's ambitions in Shadowmoon Valley. Several were trained as demon hunters. The success rate of this training was mixed: some were driven to insanity, while others fully succeeded in their training and became elite members of Illidan's retinue.
During this time, Kael'thas underwent a change that would have dire consequences. Outing Illidan as an inefficient leader, Kael sold his loyalties to Kil'jaeden and the Burning Legion; the demon lord promised Kael'thas salvation for his people, and ultimate power.The Burning Crusade Townhall/The Isle of Quel'Danas In secret, he began harvesting the great power coursing through Netherstorm, and his judgment—and actions—became increasingly callous. After ordering the slaughter of the Kirin'Var Village, Kael sent a raid of blood elves under Voren'thal the Seer to attack Shattrath City. However, Voren'thal and his followers surrendered to the Sha'tar, and betrayed the twisted prince, forming the Scryers in order to oppose him. Though met with an icy reception by the draenei residents of the city, a priesthood named the Aldor, the Scryers were granted their own sin'dorei-themed portion of Shattrath. From here, they began to fight back against Kael'thas, and sent numerous agents back to Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley. The Scryers hoped to prove who their prince was truly working for and to save their people from destruction.
Back in Quel'Thalas, antagonists from the past re-emerged. The troll warlord Zul'jin, still embittered by the orcs' abandonment of their siege of the elves' high home during the Second War (and the New Horde's subsequent acceptance of the same elves into their ranks), turned against his former allies. Within the walled fortress of Zul'Aman, largely untouched by the Scourge onslaught, Zul'jin directed the Hex Lord Malacrass to infuse the spirits of ancient animal gods into living troll warriors. Once again, the fearsome troll army was defeated, and Zul'jin himself was killed in the conflict. The sin'dorei would not be troubled again by their old enemy for years to come.The Story So Far (Wrath of the Lich King)
====Fury of the Sunwell====
More blood elves from Quel'Thalas began their travels into Outland, urging their Horde allies (whom both Lor'themar and Rommath had enticed with the notion of uncorrupted orcs still holding a presence there)Letter from Lor'themar Theron to do so too. However, what awaited them was not the paradise that was promised, but the barren wasteland of Hellfire. After dismantling his presence in Netherstorm, Kael's switch of allegiance was uncovered by the Scryers, and the prince himself was cornered in Tempest Keep. He was defeated, left for dead, though clung to life. Kael'thas appeared before the leader of the Sha'tar, the naaru A'dal, and berated him for not finishing the job. Announcing his loyalties to all those present, Kael'thas resolved to usher Kil'jaeden into Azeroth.
Silvery moon, washed in blood, led astray into the night, armed with sword of broken Light. Broken, then betrayed by one, standing there bestride the sun. At darkest hour, redemption comes, in knightly lady sworn to blood.
— Velen's prophecy
Kael'thas returned to Quel'Thalas, and briefly attacked Silvermoon City with his felblood minions. Retaking M'uru from its chambers, Kael'thas set the stage for his final stand on the Isle of Quel'Danas. He also spirited Anveena away from her undisclosed location in Quel'Thalas. Lady Liadrin, the Blood Knight Matriarch, witnessed this attack on Silvermoon herself - and now without a power source for the Blood Knights, traveled to Shattrath to meet with A'dal. She learned that M'uru had resigned himself to this fate a long time ago, and pledged the blades of the Blood Knights to ending the prince's dark ambitions, and restoring Silvermoon to its glory. The Shattered Sun Offensive, a coalition of the Scryers' blood elves and the Aldor's draenei, marched to liberate Quel'Danas. Prior to this turn of events, the prophet Velen foretold the revelations to come, tied to the sin'dorei and their fate.
Kael'thas made his final stand in the Magisters' Terrace, little more than a shadow of his former self, little more than a Wretched himself. He was cut down, and the Shattered Sun Offensive took the battle to the blood elves' Sunwell - now occupied by the most powerful blood elves under Kael's command, the Shadowsword, allowed to gorge themselves upon unlimited fel-power - and defeated them, along with their Burning Legion allies. Ultimately, the Shattered Sun Offensive relieved the Sunwell from the Burning Legion, and even banished Kil'jaeden back to the Twisting Nether.
After the encounter involving Kil'jaeden, it appeared that the Sunwell's powers were exhausted due to Anveena sacrificing herself, banishing Kil'jaeden back to the Twisting Nether; however, Prophet Velen and Lady Liadrin appeared to the scene shortly afterwards. Velen dropped M'uru's small flickering "spark" into the Sunwell and, with that, a huge pillar of light emerged from the Sunwell, at which Velen responded: "In time, the light and hope within, will rebirth more than this mere fount of power... Mayhap - they will rebirth the soul of a nation."
Inspired by the Sunwell's rebirth, the blood elves have since entered into a shining new era in their ancient race's history. Although some elves remained hesitant to abandon their dependence on arcane magic, others embraced change for the betterment of Quel'Thalas. Yet only time would tell if the blood elves can avoid repeating the tragic mistakes of their past. The blood elves no longer required draining magic to keep in good health, and their crippling addiction is sated once more, if not conquered completely. With the Sunwell's rebirth, the Blood Knights have engaged in a far more harmonious relationship with the Light, which they now channel directly through the Sunwell itself, wielding the Light in a healthy way, instead of dominating it.Chris Metzen & Micky Neilson Pocket Star Books Lore Q&A Video InterviewAsk CDev Answers - Round 1 They have resolved to embrace their new source of power, as they forge for themselves a new identity as they lead their people into a more promising future.
===Interregnum===
With the betrayal and death of Kael'thas, power passed to his regent, under whom the sin'dorei have turned to for leadership in their prince's place. Regent-Lord Lor'themar has resolved to see his people conquer their addiction completely. Rather than proclaim a new elven dynasty (he neither wants to nor believes that any other elf has a right to), Lor'themar has opted to retain his title of regent, despite his kingly side being encouraged by his ranger-general Halduron Brightwing. With no surviving members of the Sunstrider dynasty, Lor'themar has thus become the sole ruler of Quel'Thalas.
During this period, the blood elves have fortified the Isle of Quel'Danas, keeping it well guarded and not open to visitations. Halduron Brightwing now controls access to the revitalized Sunwell, and the sin'dorei remain ever vigilant. Lor'themar has attempted to mend bridges with what remains of his quel'dorei cousins, allowing them access to the sacred Sunwell and offering the exiled inhabitants of a certain lodge aid and supplies. These attempts have varied in success, the former making pilgrimages to Quel'Thalas and the latter outright declining any assistance.
Kael's decision to ally himself with the Burning Legion, attack Silvermoon City in an attempt to steal M'uru, and forcibly put the few pilgrims who reached Outland into harsh labor,Foreman Sundown effectively severed the ties of loyalty to the twisted prince for all but the most damningly fanatical sin'dorei.Crush the Dawnblade Following Kael'thas' demise, a number of the Sunfury forces have returned home to serve their people, rather than follow in Kael's increasingly dark path. Quel'Thalas has since branded Kael'thas a traitor, though the ramifications of this monumental betrayal have shaken its leadership to the core.In the Shadow of the Sun
Shortly after the reclamation of Quel'Danas, the Lich King turned his gaze towards conquest. Though Lor'themar was apprehensive to commit to another battle so soon after the events that transpired on Quel'Danas, with Sylvanas Windrunner's own brand of insistence the sin'dorei agreed to fight alongside their allies in a renewed Northrend campaign to finally end the Lich King and avenge Quel'Thalas.
===Wrath of the Lich King===
During the war against the Lich King, the blood elves accompanied the Horde advance into Northrend. Archmage Aethas Sunreaver, a powerful blood elven member of the Council of Six, was instrumental in allowing the Horde a sanctuary in the magical city of Dalaran, and his followers, the Sunreavers, sought to have blood elves admitted as members of the Kirin Tor. The Sunreavers sent numerous battle-mages to the Horde capital cities, in order to allow their allies quick travel to Wintergrasp Fortress.
Eventually, the Argent Crusade acquired a foothold in Icecrown, and proclaimed the Argent Tournament open. The Sunreavers represented the Horde champions during the tournament, and several blood elves including the Blood Knight champion, Malithas Brightblade, fought during the spectacle. An ancient quel'dorei blade known as Quel'Delar was discovered sheathed in the snow outside the tournament grounds. Its owner, Thalorien Dawnseeker, had perished valiantly during the Scourge invasion, wielding the blade in defense of the Sunwell. It was later retrieved by Thalorien's good friend, Lana'thel, who accompanied Prince Kael'thas into Northrend, where she wielded Quel'Delar against Arthas himself. However, she was cut down and raised into undeath. Now as the Blood-Queen of the San'layn, a fallen sect of vampiric darkfallen from that fateful expedition now forced to serve Arthas' will, Lana'thel reappeared and shattered Quel'Delar in an effort to sever all ties of emotion to it. The onlooking elves swore to see it restored.
The journey to purify Quel'Delar of its Scourge taint would ultimately lead heroes to the Sunwell, where they were admitted entry once Ranger General Halduron Brightwing gave his permission. Within, Lor'themar Theron, Grand Magister Rommath, and Lady Liadrin were seen, along with Auric Sunchaser and groups of elven pilgrims. The purification of Quel'Delar - which varies from near-death for a non-blood elf and all-around praise for a sin'dorei - ended with the reforged blade taken back to Dalaran. Liadrin publicly encouraged her brethren to completely conquer their addiction to magic, using the Sunwell to sustain them on this quest.
 
Blood-Queen Lana'thel and her San'layn minions would ultimately perish during the battle in Icecrown Citadel, and the Lich King himself would follow suit. At long last, the blood elves had achieved their goal of seeing the despoiler of Quel'Thalas fall.
===Cataclysm===
Though relatively unhurt by the Cataclysm, the blood elves of Quel'Thalas were still dealing with sating their addiction. With the encouragement of their Regent Lord, Lor'themar Theron, and the renewed Sunwell's holy energy, a great number of the sin'dorei have resolved to overcome the magical addiction that had plagued their race, though some are still hesitant to abandon their dependence on arcane magic. Over time, the Sunwell's Light could cure the blood elves of their cursed state, but some still cling to the arcane powers they procured and are hesitant to relinquish them. As ever, the sin'dorei fight to protect Quel'Thalas, and to help redeem the soul of their ancient people.Post-Cataclysm Blood Elf Introduction
The blood elves seem to have generally accepted Lor'themar Theron's rule in the apparent absence of surviving royalty, or after the last scion's great betrayal. Lor'themar, who had weathered many of the kingdom's darkest days, fittingly will be the one to lead his people into a prosperous future.
Under the leadership of High Examiner Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher, an ancient order known as the Reliquary has resurfaced to support Quel'Thalas and its Horde allies. With the goal of acquiring powerful magical artifacts for the safekeeping, and to free the elves of their magical addiction for good, the agents of the Reliquary have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Tae'thelan's goal is somewhat similar to the stated ambition of the Blood Knight matriarch, Lady Liadrin, who has also resolved to see her people overcome the baneful addiction that had so weakened them in the absence of the restored Sunwell.Lady Liadrin#The Path to Redemption The Reliquary holds a presence in various zones, including the Badlands, the Blasted Lands, Uldaman and at least some degree of Uldum.
Because their expulsion from night elf society after the War of the Ancients was due to their use of arcane magic, the blood elves were outraged to hear that the kaldorei had welcomed the Highborne back and were tolerating the practice of arcane magic again. After witnessing the "rookie" mistakes made by the new kaldorei magi, however, the blood elves are anxiously awaiting whatever mess the kaldorei are going to put themselves in.Ask CDev Answers - Round 2
With the threat of a new troll empire brewing within Zul'Aman, the Ranger General Halduron Brightwing has called upon the support Vereesa could offer, to which she gladly accepted, though Lor'themar Theron was less than pleased with this decision. Later, Halduron and a regiment of Farstriders were found on the outskirts of Zul'Aman, securing the area and conversing with both the Darkspear Chieftain Vol'jin and Vereesa Windrunner.
A number of the blood elves seem to have taken on a more active role within the wider Horde following the shattering. Garrosh Hellscream himself held court with several representatives of Silvermoon, and the Blood Knight Master Pyreanor was referred to as one of the Warchief's personal advisors. Envoy Sheelah and Guardian Menerin were sent to Ashenvale to support the Warsong Clan, though enemy agents were able to interrupt their plans. Several sin'dorei have carved out a considerable rank in the army sent to conquer the Stonetalon Mountains, such as General Salaman, Spy-Mistress Anara, and Master Assassin Kel'istra. Subjugator Devo gained the loyalty of the Boulderslide Kobolds, and used them to reinforce Overlord Krom'gar's forces against the Alliance. Following the death of Furien at the hands of the Alliance in Desolace, his bereaved sister Cerelia claimed revenge - which culminated in the eradication of Nijel's Point.Avenge Furien! In Azshara, several blood elves were found learning more about their heritage from the ancient elven ruins, and Andorel Sunsworn coordinated the forced removal of the lingering night elves in the area.
A retelling of elven history concerning the :Crystal of Zin-Malor could be undertaken in Winterspring, addressing the intertwining plights of the Highborne, their fallen quel'dorei descendants, and the recent venture of a blood elf Farstrider regiment, all of whom met their end on the icy shores of Lake Kel'Theril. Their stories were told through three lingering spirits: the Kaldorei Spirit, the Quel'dorei Spirit, and the Sin'dorei Spirit.
===Post-Cataclysm===
With the war between the Horde and Alliance reaching boiling levels, Warchief Garrosh Hellscream has sought to make his expansionist dreams a reality, beginning (but not ending) with Theramore Isle. The blood elves are viewed as an essential part of the Horde, due in part to their considerable technological advancement, particularly their fearsome mana bomb technology.
Lor'themar Theron appears to have distanced himself from the thumb of Sylvanas Windrunner in recent times, in contrast to his almost subservient attitude post-Quel'Danas. Instead, he has gained favor and respect from Garrosh Hellscream, while keeping himself at a safe distance from the Warchief, too. The Regent Lord has stated that the blood elves are loyal to the Horde that took them in when no one else would, and that loyalty to Garrosh, being its leader, is a result of that, not the cause. Lor'themar and Halduron decided to send Kelantir Bloodblade and two ships of sin'dorei warriors to fight in Garrosh's war against Theramore, though Kelantir was ultimately assassinated after gravitating more towards the views of Vol'jin and Baine Bloodhoof, openly questioning Garrosh's methods.
The blood elves of Dalaran, now an official part of the Kirin Tor after the Sunreavers' successful efforts to have them readmitted as members, found themselves undergoing their own intrigues: Aethas and Rhonin chose to allow a contingent of Kirin Tor magi to aid Theramore as a deterrent, though the mage the two nominated for the task -- Thalen Songweaver—was revealed to be Garrosh's spy, with knowledge of the theft of the Focusing Iris. Thalen created a mana bomb for the Warchief which, augmented by the power of the iris, was dropped over Theramore, utterly annihilating it. Thalen's treachery was a blow to Aethas' cause.
===Mists of Pandaria===
In Pandaria, blood elven history could be seen with Lorewalker Cho, who made several observations as he viewed figures of the blood elves, their high elven forefathers, and their night elven ancestors, taking special note of the suffering the race had gone through in recent times, the reason behind the blood elves' moniker, the great power the race wields, and the burdens that had come with it.Family Tree
====Landfall====
The blood elves arrived in force to Pandaria, Regent Lord Theron himself leading a retinue of rangers, Sunfury, and Blood Knights to the scene. The Reliquary has also been deployed, dispersing to uncover secrets long-hidden on the continent. Relations between the sin'dorei and the Horde become strained due to multiple instances of the blood elves' welfare being disregarded by the Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, culminating in Lor'themar contemplating pulling Quel'Thalas out of the Horde, and rejoining the Alliance. As Lor'themar and Varian Wrynn began the negotiations, however, the Sunreavers (whose ranks included agents of Garrosh Hellscream willing to risk their neutrality for his sake) were violently expelled from Dalaran by Jaina Proudmoore, who declared the Kirin Tor's allegiance to the Alliance. In retaliation, Grand Magister Rommath assaulted Dalaran in an effort to rescue Aethas Sunreaver and the Sunreavers. He succeeded in his mission, coming to the aid of many wounded Sunreavers, forewarning those unaware of the danger, and freeing Aethas himself from the Violet Citadel. In the aftermath of this, the Sunreavers came to hold Garrosh as responsible for their removal from Dalaran as Jaina herself.
Though Jaina's purge ended the negotiations with the Alliance and forced the sin'dorei back to Hellscream's Horde, Lor'themar was incensed at Garrosh regardless, and relations between them fell apart. Consequently, Lor'themar ordered Halduron and Rommath to assemble the rangers and magisters and stated that the time had come for the sin'dorei to take matters into their own hands.
====The Thunder King====
On the Isle of Thunder, Lor'themar led the Sunreaver Onslaught, which gathers members from all different forces of Silvermoon: the Blood Knights, the spellbreakers, the Farstriders, the Magisters, the Reliquary and obviously, the Sunreavers. The assault was directed to counteract the Thunder King and their Zandalari allies, their goal was to recoup all useful titanic artifacts from the mogu in order to guarantee their survival during the Horde's crisis. During the conquest, they often confronted the Kirin Tor Offensive.
The blood elves came on three destroyers and succeeded in the construction of a base on Isle of Thunder thanks to Scout Captain Elsia,The Assault on Zeb'tula naming it Dawnseeker Promontory in honor of Thalorien Dawnseeker. The war raged and the blood elves, led by Lor'themar on the front, broke the wall of the fortress.Tear Down This Wall! (Horde) With the Shado-Pan Assault, they took the Thunder Forges To the Skies! (Horde) and tried to prevent the resurrection of Nalak, while The Fall of Shan Bu (Horde) confronting their alliance counterpart directly. Ultimately, they took the anima of the Dark Animus Life Blood in the Throne of Thunder, which has been analyzed by Aethas.
====Siege of Orgrimmar====
Led by Lor'themar, the blood elves sailed from Pandaria to Durotar to help both Vol'jin's rebellion and most of the Alliance in their battle against Garrosh. They helped take control of Bladefist Bay and made contact with Vol'jin. With the combined forces, Garrosh was ultimately defeated.
===Warlords of Draenor===
During the war in Draenor, the blood elven Sunsworn force traveled to under Lady Liadrin's command. They fought with the in defense of and . It was said that their role in the expansion would bring their understanding of the Light and the origin of paladins full circle from The Burning Crusade,BlizzCon 2013 - The Adventure Continues panel (44:10-46:02) but this plot thread was ultimately not touched upon.
The Reliquary also made their way to Draenor, clashing with the Explorers' League and Steamwheedle Cartel on Ashran, the former in search of an ancient artifact and the latter over the ethics of hoarding magical items versus selling them for profit.
===Legion===
At the time of the third invasion of the Burning Legion, blood elf demon hunters belonging to the Illidari made their return, having been sent on a mission by their progenitor some ten years beforehand during the invasion of Outland. Like their night elf counterparts, their demonic features and heavy reliance on fel magic has caused them to be frowned upon by their people, but their great powers will prove invaluable in the battle against the Legion.
The sin'dorei also appear during the final stages of the Nightfallen rebellion. The blood elven army, led by Lady Liadrin and Grand Magister Rommath, joined forces (albeit uneasily) with the night elves and the high elves to help free Suramar City from Grand Magistrix Elisande's, and by extension, the Legion's control.
At some point in the past, a group of blood elf scholars led by Magister Umbric was exiled from Silvermoon for their experimentation with the Void. After an altercation with void ethereals, Umbric and his brethren were transformed into void elves.The Ghostlands (quest) Alleria Windrunner, the first mortal to succeed at mastering the Void, came to the aid of her kin and taught the void elves how to control the shadows. Through her, they pledged their newfound powers to the Alliance.Telogrus Rift (quest) After the ren'dorei made Telogrus Rift their new base of operations, a few Silvermoon Scholars traveled to the broken world in order to better study the Void.
===Battle for Azeroth===
The shared history of the blood elves with the nightborne, as well as their assistance with the rebellion, played a major role in bringing them into the Horde during the Fourth War. Following the Battle for Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas was also known to be one of the last bastions of Horde power in the Eastern Kingdoms. Blood elven soldiers played a moderate role during the war, participating in the Battle for Stromgarde and Faction Assaults with the rest of the Horde troops.
==Population==
The Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas ended with the slaughter of roughly 90% of the high elven people. Following the Quel'dorei's decimation at the hands of the Scourge, Kael'thas rallied roughly 90% of the survivors, who took up the name "blood elf" in honor of their fallen brethren.
Following the blood elves' abandonment of Garithos' Alliance resistance, Kael'thas took 15% of the blood elven people to find and claim a new homeland in Outland, while the remaining 85% remained on Azeroth to reclaim Quel'Thalas from the Scourge. After Kael'thas' defeat a number of the Sunfury returned to their brethren in Quel'Thalas.
Regarding the current blood elf population: the high elf population of survivors was estimated around 1,481, or 10%, meaning the 90% that became blood elves would be put at least 13,329.
Of the 15% of the blood elf population went to Outland (at least 2,000) one faction became felblood elves, with another becoming the neutral Scryers faction who remained in Outland and are not under Slivermoon. Also considering the casualties suffered in Outland, there is the question of what percentage of the 15% died, became Felblood elves or remained among the Scryers.
Of the 85% that remained behind in Quel'Thalas (around 11,000) how many were exiled and became Void elves, became Wretched, as well as further losses from various conflicts.
==Physical appearance==
On average, blood elven women are 5'9" tall while blood elven men usually stand around 6'3" in height,Height#Playable races with males typically having slender, muscular, and athletic bodies. They also possess long pointy ears, acute senses and keen sight in the darkness. Night elves have long, slanted ears while blood elves' ears are shorter and tend to point upwards. Blood elven females can possess much the same, albeit typically sporting a slim elven physique. Like all elves, blood elves are considered highly attractive by the standards of most mortal races.Tides of Darkness They typically have fairly long hair, generally do not grow their facial hair to gigantic proportions until old age, and generally stand slightly taller than their human gender counterparts. As a general rule, blood elves are also slim, athletic, strong, and graceful. Furthermore, they all have large pointed ears that tend to be greeted with admiration (or mockery) by other races.The Warcraft Encyclopedia: High Elves and Blood Elves
Blood elves are, biologically and physiologically, high elves.
Blood elves who were most loyal to Kael'thas Sunstrider were gifted by Kil'jaeden with the privilege of engorging themselves on copious amounts of demonic blood, seemingly hastening their demonic evolution into what has come to be known as felblood elves, developing a variety of demonic traits in the process. Those blood elves and high elves who succumb to their magical addiction and descend into madness are counted among the wretched.
The sin'dorei are the favored humanoid form of the red dragonflight.Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects, pg. 73
===Eyes===
Blood elves' eyes are well-attuned to the dark and "pierce the gloom," a trait they thank their night elven ancestry for. Blood elves can visually identify the hue of arcane energy around objects or people, as well as the ebb and flow of such magic.Tyrus Sheynathren
Blood elf eyes glow with magical energy, the color of which depends on the individual elf's source of power, or prolonged exposure to a certain kind of magic.
In World of Warcraft, blood elves have access to varying shades of four eye colors:
*Green, denoting fel corruption. When the Sunwell was destroyed, the blood elf magisters rebuilt Silvermoon using demonic energies; living in proximity to this gave many blood elves fel-green eyes.Ask CDev Answers - Round 3 The corruption will fade eventually, but the process takes time.
*Gold, signalling a connection to the Light-infused Sunwell. With the blood elves' fount of power restored, the well has cleansed some blood elves' fel corruption. Blood elf paladins and priests, who are attuned to the Light and linked closely to the Sunwell, are commonly depicted with golden eyes.
*Blue, their natural high elven eye color.In the Shadow of the Sun, pg. 2: "... eyes still blue and untainted..." This was a character customization option added in Shadowlands, to give the blood elves (and void elves) high elf customization options.
*Light purple, likely representing arcane energy, as the raw substance of arcane power is often depicted as violet. They also have a defined iris and white sclera.New Customizations for Shadowlands Build 36401 - Void Elf and Blood Elf Eye Color
Some sources depict them differently, and with other eye colors:
*Several blood elves in Hearthstone (and the old trading card game) are depicted with fiery orange eyes. Lady Liadrin's appearance in Hearthstone is generally thought to have been a precursor to players receiving golden eyes in World of Warcraft.
*In The Frozen Throne, blood elven eyes were depicted white and pupil-less, both in-game and in official artwork. A possible explanation for this is that when the blood elves were first exposed to fel magic, it took a while for their eyes to change. In classic World of Warcraft, blood elves had normal white eyes with pupils. The Sunwell Trilogy also depicted them with this appearance. Some blood elf artwork in Hearthstone also shows them with white eyes.
*Some blood elves have been shown with deep purple eyes, but purple seems to be associated with several power sources. When Valeera Sanguinar absorbed the magic of a naga Sea Witch's trident, her eyes instantly turned purple, the color of the magic in the trident; similarly, an official art piece by Red Knuckle showed a blood elf with purple eyes due to his warlock powers.Sons of the Storm - Red Knuckle Several pieces in Hearthstone also show blood elves with purple eyes, some with an explicit link to the void. In World of Warcraft, void elves have access to both light and dark purple eyes, but blood elves only have the light; this is likely because while light purple indicates arcane magic, dark purple is associated with the void, which is outlawed in Quel'Thalas.
*The novels Tides of Darkness and Beyond the Dark Portal did not suggest there was a magical component to high elven eyes; for example, Lor'themar Theron's were described as dark brown and Alleria Windrunner's were described as emerald green. This idea has not been revisited since, and newer material tends to depict all pre-Third War high elves with blue eyes (with exceptions, such as Anasterian's golden eyes in Reforged).
===Aging===
Blood elves can potentially reach up to several thousand years of life. It appears that physical maturation is roughly on par with human aging, as seen with several young elves (such as Valeera Sanguinar, who was a child during the Scourge invasion yet physically mature a few years later), though only up to a point. The aging process appears to even out at around their physical peak before their aging becomes more sporadic and typically elven.
How fast they age precisely is unknown, but the oldest of their kind seem to be roughly 3,000 years old. Anasterian Sunstrider, the High King of Quel'Thalas, was extremely long-lived, having presided over a number of long-standing conflicts and died in around his three-thousandth year. By this time, his physical appearance had become elderly and wizened, suggesting that typical blood/high elven old age is induced around that time period. Lady Liadrin specifically attributed his elderly appearance to his 3,000 years of age in Blood of the Highborne.
In addition to this, the blood elven engineers in the Secret Level Powerup tell Prince Kael'thas that they "built Dalaran's original defenses". Given that the events of the Secret Level Powerup take place in the Third War and the original defenses of Dalaran were erected almost 2700 years prior to this, this would lead us to assume that the engineers themselves were older than this. However, because of the fact the blood elven engineers only exist in a secret level, the extent of which they are canonical is debatable, as specified in their article. Jaina Proudmoore also mentions that the Sunreavers contain members who had taught humans magic to begin with, implying that some among them are over two thousand years old. This was further muddied by the addition of Lorash Sunbeam, a blood elf whose backstory explicitly puts his age at over 7,000: he was born after the exile of the Highborne, but before Quel'Thalas was founded, meaning that he was a Highborne night elf and among those who gained high elf forms after the creation of the Sunwell. This would make Lorash by far the oldest known Thalassian elf in the lore, but also creates inconsistencies.
==Culture==
The term "blood elf" itself is a cultural identity: a show of respect and honor for the fall of the high elves, the destruction of the Sunwell, the near-annihilation of their kingdom, and their rebirth from its ashes. It is also a reference to their royal lineage—their bloodline. As a culture, the sin'dorei have retained the look and feel of their fallen high elven kingdom, though they've developed a greater penchant for the color red. Crimson-red robes, decor, and armor have become far more commonplace within blood elven society since the fall of the high elven people, a reference to the blood of their many brethren who had perished in the Third War.Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 346
The traditional blood elven colors are red, gold, and, to a lesser extent, blue—all of which can be seen on their racial crest, the Icon of Blood.
In general, the blood elves are a proud, pragmatic, and somewhat jingoistic people; they place great emphasis on their love for their homeland and are ruthless to their enemies, as demonstrated by many of their in-game quotes. Their reputation for isolationism is well-earned, and many prefer to keep to their own kind. However, they are not an evil people. Blood elves are a resilient race of survivors, and their most prominent figures stand as beacons of courage, tenacity, and the strength to fight on, regardless of what foes stand in their way.Ultimate Visual Guide, pg. 146
In the past, Quel'Thalas hosted bright, pompous ceremonies with mock battles and pageantry, but the various calamities the former high elves have had to endure have caused them to become much grimmer and more bitter. While they still love their luxuries and comforts, they now consider such excessive displays to be distasteful in the wake of the tragedies suffered by their people.Before the Storm, chapter 3
 	
Blood elven architecture is of the same illustrious and elegant design as it was when Dath'Remar Sunstrider founded Quel'Thalas. It involves pendulous creations of wondrous curves and columns, their designs involving natural, floral, flowing, animal motifs. Their fountains seem to defy physical boundaries, creating or warping water in impossible ways.
The study of the Void is as frowned upon in blood elf society as it is among the high elves.Silvermoon Scholar#Quotes Grand Magister Rommath once clashed with Magister Umbric and his disciples, who had pursued research into the Void against his wishes, and ordered their exile on the grounds that the Void poses a direct threat to the Sunwell.Remember the Sunwell
A frequent consumer of :bloodthistle is called a "thistlehead", and looked down upon by common blood elf society.To Catch A Thistlehead
===Language===
Blood elves speak Thalassian, the language of their ancient race. They originally spoke Darnassian, leading to some overlap and linguistic similarities between the two languages, but with time their language evolved to the modern one. By the time of the Second War, their elder tongue had been almost forgotten.Day of the Dragon, chapter 9
Several of the common sin'dorei sayings spoken in-game have been translated by the Warcraft Encyclopedia's entry on Thalassian, and can be found here.
In World of Warcraft, blood elf players speak Thalassian and Orcish.
===Naming===
In contrast to their night elven cousins, blood elven naming conventions tend to favor the concepts of the day, the sun, and brightness/light/fire over the night, the moon, and darkness. A prefix referencing one in some way ("Brightwing," "Sunhallow," "Dawnglow," "Blazefeather," etc.) is quite common in many blood elven surnames. However, some others eschew this altogether and have fairly standard elven names that evoke no particular imagery; Lor'themar Theron himself is a prominent example of this.
Unlike the high elves, however, a number of blood elves have taken on more aggressive surnames - often incorporating the word "blood" into their identity, which had not been heard of prior to the sin'dorei coming to power. Presumably, this is to better illustrate their cultural identity and their drive for vengeance, as many blood elves would have lost family members during the Scourge massacre. Some blood elves changed their surnames as a further homage to their fallen people and loved ones, taking names such as "Bloodwatcher," "Bloodblade," and "Bloodwrath." This is also particularly prevalent within the Blood Knight order, which displays a number of members bearing the term - "Bloodvalor" and "Bloodsworn" among others. A number of blood elven ranks, titles, and organization names are similarly fashioned, such as Bloodwarders, blood mages, and of course the blood knights themselves.
===Classes===
The blood elves have a considerable plethora of classes available: hunters (often representing Farstriders), mages (often representing Magisters), paladins (often representing Blood Knights), rogues, warlocks, warriors, priests, death knights, monks, and demon hunters. The Frozen Throne also marked the debut of blood elven blood mages, spellbreakers, dragonhawk riders, priests and sorceresses, the latter three being the post-Third War incarnations of their high elven selves.
All of these classes can be seen in modern World of Warcraft to some degree; however, during Kael'thas's assault on the Isle of Quel'Danas, the formidable Spellbreakers' ranks were thinned drastically when their headquarters was overwhelmed by Kael'thas and his Burning Legion forces. The lone squad that remains now exists as a relic of a bygone era, as the Spellbreakers have refrained from training any new recruits since Kael'thas' betrayal. That said, sometime later, Lor'themar Theron himself ordered a revitalization of Spellbreaker training, leading to a resurgence of Spellbreakers among the blood elves' ranks.Sean Copeland on Twitter, RE: Spellbreakers Blood elves are also one of the two races to successfully complete demon hunter training, along with their night elven cousins.
Elves part of the Scourge have demonstrated the ability to become necromancers. High Botanist Freywinn is an arcanist close to plants.
Blood elves have at least one active lore character to represent most of their classes: Lor'themar and Halduron for hunters (and arguably warriors); Rommath, Tae'thelan and Aethas for mages; Liadrin for paladins (and arguably priests); Valeera for rogues; and Koltira for death knights. The exceptions are warlocks and monks.
===Symbolism===
The blood elves use a phoenix as their main motif. The phoenix is found on their banners, their racial crest (the Icon of Blood), weaponry, buildings, tents, and many other sightings. Metaphorically, the nature of the phoenix represents their "rebirth" from the ashes of their sundered brethren — the blood elves metaphorically 'died' as high elves and were reborn as blood elves, and as a more formidable people from the experience.Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 364 A sentiment also reflected by the blood elves' moniker. Generally, the phoenix is portrayed as gold and emblazoned upon a red background, though it has several alterations and variations:
*In the Third War, blood mages had the ability to call phoenixes from the Firelands.
*The Blood Knight order uses the phoenix of Quel'Thalas emblazoned on their tabard, though recolored a deep crimson and contrasted with a black background.
*The Sunfury forces expand on this design, portraying the phoenix with two heads instead of one.
*The tabard of the Sunreavers appears to depict a more abstract phoenix, though its avian design could also be based on a dragonhawk.
*A blue variation is seen decorating the upper portions of many sin'dorei tents.
*The Silver Covenant also uses the phoenix on its banners (a golden phoenix on a blue background), but given their architecture is simply recolored from existing blood elf designs, it is unclear what, if any, meaning this has to them.
===Beliefs and practices===
The blood elves venerate the metaphorical idea of the "sun" in their culture, and even incorporated it into their social greetings and farewells."Forever after, they would embrace the sun and be known only as the high elves. " - Exile of the High Elves This reverence is the polar opposite belief of their night elven cousins, who hold the moon in a similarly high regard. This stems from elven society centering on the age-old Sunwell, which had empowered and protected Quel'Thalas and its citizens for a strong 7,000 years prior to its destruction. Following the loss of the Sunwell, Quel'Thalas' citizens came to incorporate the notion of "remembrance" in honor of their fallen fount - "Remember the Sunwell."
The blood elven crest, seen on many banners, tabards, and buildings in and outside of Quel'Thalas, depicts a phoenix. Metaphorically, this represents the blood elves' "rebirth" from the ashes of their destroyed kingdom and brethren, sundered in the Third War, and as a more formidable people for having done so.Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 364
As high elves, several blood elves were members of the Church of the Light.Priest (Warcraft III) Following the Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas, most of the elves became disillusioned with the Light, holding it in contempt for failing their homeland in its hour of greatest need. One of the most prominent followers of this mindset was the High priestess Liadrin, who renounced her vows to the Light due to this supposed abandonment. A disillusioned Liadrin and many of her followers would later use the Light as a tool, as they came to incorporate the notion of "bending" the Light to their will, forcibly taking it rather than relying on faith to wield it, though some blood elven priests outside of the ruined kingdom remained faithful in the Light's guidance and continued to wield it. As the Blood Knights, they came to incorporate the notion of "bending" the Light to their will, and seeing themselves as its true masters as a result of this dominion: the other paladins of the world are forced to live by a strict moral doctrine when wielding the Light and its blessings, yet the Blood Knights had efficiently circumvented this by using Prince Kael'thas's teachings on the captured naaru, M'uru, siphoning his Light-given energy to fuel their paladin-esque abilities.
By the time of the invasion of Outland, the priest trainers of Quel'Thalas said that the path of a priest was often misconstrued as a path of pacifism; and for the blood elves, this couldn't be further from the truth. Not only do they mend bone and spirit, but they also act as a fist of vengeance for those who would transgress against the sin'dorei.Priest Training (Horde) The trainers also refer to giving "sermons,"Tyelis#Quotes a phrasing largely associated with holy blessings and, by extension, Light worship. Note that blood elven priests are separated from the Magisters.Micky Neilson on Twitter
Following the restoration of the Sunwell, now a mixture of both holy and arcane power, the Blood Knights abandoned wielding holy energies by force and returned to their old ways. Through the Sunwell they would ask for the Light's blessing to wield their powers. It is a harmonious relationship, free of the pain and discord of their previous method, they no longer suffer from its associated negative effects.Micky Neilson on Twitter: "Confirmed. Blood Knights no longer suffer the negative effects." To wield the Light through the Sunwell, a typical Blood Knight must have strong willpower and faith in their own ability.Micky Neilson on Twitter: "The official answer I got was: a mixture of willpower and faith in one's own ability." Although possible to "steal" the Light from the Sunwell in the same way they did from M'uru, Lady Liadrin has moved the blood knights away from that type of abuse.Alex Afrasiabi on Twitter: "technically they can take it but Liadrin has moved the blood knights away from that type of abuse of the Light."
There are many other beliefs and practices found within blood elf society, and a number of which have clashing ideals - such as the beliefs and policies of the Blood Knights and the Farstriders.
Every year, a champion to the blood elves is asked to perform an act of remembrance in honor of those who fell to the Scourge. That champion then carries a lantern containing flames of remembrance taken from the Sunwell itself.Walk Among Ghosts
===Magical addiction===
Since the destruction of the Sunwell at the hands of Arthas and the Scourge, the blood elves have been forced to deal with the sudden relapse of their addiction to arcane energy. A constant curse since the original Well of Eternity was destroyed, the addiction has become more powerful than ever. Blood elves spend their waking days struggling with their weakness, seeking either to sate it by siphoning magical energy from their surroundings, getting by with mana crystals, or to resist the urge to feed.
While the blood elves do not abstain from draining arcane power directly, they are careful to keep their addictions under control, keeping the power their new abilities offer while maintaining self-discipline. Those who lose control over their addiction change into Wretched, and invariably fall into insanity and corruption.
On several occasions after the Sunwell's defilement, Kael'thas publicly asserted that his people would die unless they found a new source of magic. There can be no doubt that withdrawal from prolonged exposure to arcane magic is a very unpleasant process: to this day it is not impossible that a high elf might choose to give in to the addiction and become one of the blood elves. Technically, though, the prince was mistaken. According to the top priests and medics on Azeroth, the only high elves who perished due to the Sunwell's loss were the very old, the very young, and those already in poor health.
This is not to say, however, that withdrawal from magic would leave the elves unharmed. On the contrary, permanent mental or physical damage is possible.
Even so, the prince's relatively quick acceptance of dire measures (e.g., draining magic from demons) is by no means characteristic of blood elves in general. The blood elves of Outland have by now discovered Kael'thas' agreement with Illidan, and they have for the most part become convinced of its necessity. Most blood elves still live on Azeroth, though. Few of these elves know of Kael'thas' pact with Illidan, and many would be horrified if they discovered it. Draining magic from small mana-bearing vermin is a far cry from draining magic from demons. Yet, as their hunger grew, blood elves—particularly those in Outland—were becoming increasingly inured to the things they must do in order to obtain more magic.
As Arcanist Helion says: "Control your thirst for magic... It is a thirst unending."GameSpy - World of Warcraft: The Blood Elves
In his report on Silvermoon City, Mathias Shaw reported that blood elves were addicted to both, arcane and fel magic.World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms, pg. 88
====Counteracting magic withdrawal====
The elves had been sustained by the Sunwell for several millennia, during which time they had become dependent upon its power. The need to feed upon the arcane only became truly apparent after the Sunwell's destruction when the elves were cut off from the constant flow of magic the well suffused every fiber of their beings with.
Bereft of their Sunwell, the blood elves were forced to deal with their addiction differently. Through Illidan Stormrage (who maintained that magical addiction cannot be conquered by any means, only sated), Prince Kael'thas acquired the teachings of stripping arcane magic from other sources, be it mana-bearing items or creatures. This process was dubbed the ":Mana Tap," and became an important and increasingly essential part of the elves' lives. Kael instructed Rommath to spread these teachings back home in Quel'Thalas, as a way to sate—but not cure—the elves' addiction to magic. The knowledge was passed down until all blood elves had learned the techniques necessary to draw arcane energies from crystals, artifacts, creatures, or even mortals who commanded such power. This technique was a cause of contention: some deemed it as immoral, while others callously overused it and were physically warped into what became known as the Wretched.
Ultimately, the Sunwell was restored, now a mixture of both arcane and holy magic. With this inspiring turn of events, the elven addiction has - for the most part - begun to come back under control, as it was before the well's loss. With Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron's encouragement, the ability to sate their addiction conveniently via the Sunwell, and the plight of the Reliquary to free the elves of what remains of their addiction for good, the blood elves are on a far more efficient (and less dangerous) path to be free of their bane. However, a few elves remain enthralled by their former methods of gaining power, and are not eager to give up on them.
===Mounts and companions===
The blood elves' most common mount is the hawkstrider, a cockatrice-like creature that appears to be native to the forests of Quel'Thalas, found no-where else in Azeroth aside from in the blood elves' care. When Kael'thas led his followers to the ruined world of Outland, the vibrant hawkstriders that were brought with them proved to be welcome reminders of the blood elves' beauteous home in Quel'Thalas. Valued for their trustworthiness and speed, these colorful avian creatures embody the inherent splendor of the forests within the blood elven kingdom. While tragedy has befallen Quel'Thalas in recent years, the hawkstriders remain an integral part of the elves' day-to-day lives.
The sin'dorei once had a natural affinity with the creatures of Eversong. The mana wyrms once served as guardians to the various crystals and arcane structures around the elven kingdom. However, they have since become maddened by the Scourge invasion, and the blood elves have even been seen to feed upon them. The lynxes and treants were also once allies of the elves, though without the ability to control the recalcitrant former and formerly cooperative latter, they have also become hostile in the wake of the Scourge attack. More recently, mana wyrms have been deployed by the blood elves on the Isle of Thunder, as a countermeasure against hostile magic-users.
Dragonhawks are another creature the blood elves have a positive relationship with. They have been used as flying mounts, and have battled alongside their elven masters in several conflicts.Arthas: Rise of the Lich King The Farstriders mounted them for an aerial assault against the Scourge, and the blood elves would also employ this tactic against Arthas in Northrend - during both of their visits.Orgrim's Hammer Scout
Blood elves have been shown to keep cats around their cities and settlements, the proud and independent creature perhaps reflective of the blood elves' own attitude. In addition, blood elves have employed all manners of arcane-empowered indulgences, such as magical brooms to sweep the streets, crystals found all around Silvermoon, and flower ornaments found in magical levitation.
===Constructs, inventions, and weaponry===
The blood elves keep and control a large number of magically-imbued guardians to supplement their own guard force, named the Arcane Guardians. These hulking, robotic constructs serve as Silvermoon City's elite patrol force, with the ability to seek out and destroy enemies regardless of where they hide. They are also employed by the Blood Knight order, as seen with Gatewatcher Aendor and his ilk, and the Scryers have also created their own guardians. After the reclamation of the Sunwell, the Arcane Guardians have also been stationed around the holy font of power to assist the blood elven guard force there. It appears that these guardians were created during the reign of King Anasterian, though the quel'dorei had never been seen to make use of them prior to their conversion to sin'dorei.Major Malfunction
The Arcane Guardians have also been used as a propagandistic tool by the magisters, and will periodically remind citizens that the laws of Silvermoon must be obeyed, that Lor'themar Theron will lead them to power and glory, that Quel'Thalas will remain strong in the wake of Kael'thas' betrayal, and will openly encourage the citizens of Silvermoon to live their lives in happiness.Arcane Guardian
In addition to the standard golems, the blood elves under Prince Kael'thas and Kil'jaeden created powerful alterations of the standard arcane guardian, dubbed the fel golems, towering constructs surging with fel power. The Sunreaver Onslaught further elaborated upon the fel golem design, creating new constructs (the Pyrestar Demolisher and the Haywire Sunreaver Construct) capable of more diverse and powerful abilities, sans the demonic input. Furthermore, the blood elves have acquired the use of blood golems, formidable mechanical constructs forged in the Throne of Thunder, formerly under Lei Shen's command.
On Outland, the Sunfury blood elves created the mana bomb, an arcane-based weapon capable of great destruction. Both Kirin'Var Village and the Cenarion Thicket were wholly annihilated by the mana bombs' force, while another was procured for an attack on Theramore Isle; further empowered by the Focusing Iris, the bomb destroyed the entire isle. Tactical mana bombs have also been produced, albeit their volatile nature makes them ill-suited for use by rank-and-file soldiers.Tactical Mana Bombs (Horde)
Floating crystals adorn several blood elven cities and outposts. These come in two flavors: the fel crystals (also referred to as Burning Crystals on Sunstrider Isle), and the more standard mana crystals. The former is a device created by the Magisters to store demonic energy; in this state, several magi were seen to drain power from the crystals directly. They were once found around Quel'Thalas, though Rommath stated that they were removed after the Sunwell was restored.What's in the Box? Rommath's gossip text The mana crystals (alternatively named the arcane crystals, defense crystals, or bloodgem crystals) are a more conventional creation (and implicitly the original form of the fel crystals), which can be used to scry, power defenses, strike at aerial enemies, and create magical shields over towns and outposts.
An Orb of Translocation is a swirling red orb of blood elven manufacture, a device used to teleport oneself either short or far distances within the world. They are common in Quel'Thalas.
===Relations===
The blood elves are a proud people, and as history has shown, they prefer to keep to their own company. Quel'Thalas enjoyed seclusion from the younger races for a long while, until both the Troll Wars and the Second War forced them into alliances with humanity. Despite this, Quel'Thalas was quick to retreat back into independent seclusion until the Scourge invasion - at which point, they began to actively seek new allies under Lor'themar Theron and Kael'thas Sunstrider's directive. They are currently members of the Horde.
The blood elves have a somewhat divided opinion on what remains of their high elven brethren. Some, such as Halduron Brightwing and Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher, have expressed no particular grudge or strong feelings towards the quel'dorei remnants; the former has referred to the elven race collectively as the "children of Silvermoon," while the latter has outright stated his intention to free the elves from their addiction, and unite them as the proud race they once were. Lor'themar Theron and Halduron have allowed them access to the Sunwell, though Lor'themar himself has also displayed some hostility towards some high elves such as Vereesa Windrunner, who had opposed the blood elves' inclusion into the Kirin Tor.
Many blood elves once had strong ties to Dalaran and the Kirin Tor, having produced productive members of the Kirin Tor for over 2,000 years, Prince Kael'thas himself having studied there and Grand Magister Rommath having once lived there. However, the Kirin Tor did not intervene when Grand Marshal Garithos sentenced the blood elves to an unjust death, leaving Rommath and his magisters to hold a strong hatred towards them for it. With the blood elven Archmage Aethas Sunreaver on the Council of Six, and existing members of the Six expressing a desire to reestablish good relations with the blood elves, some sin'dorei have welcomed the ability to rejoin the Kirin Tor, though Rommath's disdain for this notion still persists. Archmage Athas holds a strong position in the Kirin Tor, whose followers (who bear his namesake, the Sunreavers) have secured a large portion of the city of Dalaran for the blood elves and their allies' use.Sunreaver's Sanctuary It appears Rommath's outlook on the Kirin Tor has been more prevalent in recent times, following the violent purge of the Horde from Dalaran.
The high/blood elves have some history with the red dragonflight, most of whom prefer to transform into elves (specifically sin'dorei) when assuming a mortal form. It was the Reds who gifted Quel'Delar to the high elves (Alexstrasza personally handed it to Anasterian), and her consort Korialstrasz maintained an interest in the elves' affairs, arriving only narrowly too late to save the Sunwell from Arthas.
====Diplomacy with the Horde====
The vast majority of blood elves are now members of the Horde, this alliance conveying a strong clash of culture. The blood elves are a major part of the eastern Horde, along with their former Ranger-general Sylvanas Windrunner and the Forsaken. As relatively new members, the blood elves have sent several diplomats to various cities and leaders of the Horde (such as Ambassador Sunsorrow and Ambassador Dawnsinger), and diplomats of each Horde nation are found within Silvermoon City. Though the wider Horde was initially reluctant to forge allegiances with the sin'dorei, the vouching of Sylvanas, and the general consensus that the blood elves could bring to the table what the Horde had previously lacked,Horde Emissaries would ultimately pave way to Quel'Thalas being accepted as an equal independent nation of the Horde.
Several blood elves prefer to keep with their own company, viewing their deployment outside of Quel'Thalas as something of a nuisance, though others have been seen to integrate fairly well into the wider Horde, even coming to appreciate its vastly different culture that still permits theirs to exist in its own right.Lorrin Foxfire An alliance out of convenience and survival has grown much warmer with time, enough that the blood elves have turned down offers to rejoin the Alliance on multiple occasions. Modern blood elves are largely proud to be a part of the Horde after the struggles the faction supported them through, with Silvermoon now having a lucrative place as a voice at the Horde Council table. The blood elves were a major driving force in the Horde's Northrend campaign, Aethas Sunreaver ensuring them a vital sanctuary within the former Alliance city of Dalaran. A number of the sin'dorei have risen in the Horde's ranks, serving as generals General Salaman and as spy leaders.Spy-Mistress Anara
After the Cataclysm, Ashra Valandril was chosen by the blood elven leadership to represent the blood elves in the new Horde militia, the Garad'kra.Bloodsworn Some powerful blood elves have also been inducted into the Kor'kron Guard,Kor'kron Vanquisher the most elite fighting force in the Horde's arsenal. The blood elven Reliquary is dedicated to giving the Horde a monopoly on artifacts of great power.
The blood elves remaining on Azeroth have developed a relationship with the Forsaken due to Sylvanas Windrunner, who was Ranger-general of Silvermoon until Arthas converted her into undeath against her will. The queen claims that she still considers herself one of the foremost protectors of Quel'Thalas. She has repeatedly offered assistance in the form of supplies and troops. The sin'dorei initially feared a trick, though ultimately relented and allowed Sylvanas to station Forsaken troops in the Ghostlands to help supplement the overstretched blood elven military fighting to secure it. Following this, Quel'Thalas and Undercity have developed something of a camaraderie, and an orb was constructed to allow quick travel between the two nations. The people of Quel'Thalas itself have seemingly come to view their former Ranger General as something of a hero, who gave her life to protect Silvermoon and continues to assist it in undeath.Vaeron Kormar Ironically, Sylvanas' relationship with the blood elven regent Lor'themar Theron (her former second in command) and his Grand Magister does not appear to be particularly positive, and Sylvanas had to twist his arm with threats to see him dedicate troops to the Northrend war effort. With the war behind them, Lor'themar and Sylvanas became even more distant, the regent lord unsympathetic to her outlook around the other Horde leaders.
The relationship between the Darkspear tribe and the sin'dorei is a complicated one. Some blood elves (such as Paelarin) appear openly hostile to the trolls, going as far as to refuse them service despite their shared allegiance. On the other hand, Chieftain Vol'jin himself has a fairly amiable and respectful relationship with both Lor'themar Theron and Ranger General Halduron Brightwing, perhaps born of their more moderate outlooks. As time has gone on, relations with both trolls as well as the other Horde races have improved. In the aftermath of the failed Broken Shore excursion, various blood elves expressed concern for the well-being of Horde soldiers and Vol'jin. Numerous blood elves attended the funeral for the latter and answered the call to arms to avenge him, their Regent Lord additionally serving as one of the slain Warchief's pallbearers.Fate of the Horde
The blood elves have found a kinship with the nightborne, both due to their shared history of magical withdrawal issues and being descended from fellow Highborne elves. A blood elf expedition force joining the resistance to liberate Suramar City led to increased comradery between the two groups. Contrary to the very cold and distrustful reception they received from the night elves, blood elf representatives led by Lady Liadrin endorsed the Horde as a means of preserving cultural autonomy and as a reliable force to help ensure the safety of both of their people's against the outside world; something that could be a great benefit to the nightborne as it had come to be for the blood elves. This contributed greatly to the nightborne choosing to join the Horde as well.
====Diplomacy with the Alliance====
Following the actions of Grand Marshal Garithos, the blood elves became more opposed to the notion of working with the Alliance than ever. Despite this, Quel'Thalas did engage in diplomatic relations with an Ironforge ambassador, though this did not end too well.The Dwarven Spy Certainly, the Alliance has shown no interest in helping the Azerothian blood elves either reach Outland or drive the Scourge out of Quel'Thalas. Already suspicious of the few scattered high elves who still exist, the Alliance considers the blood elves even less trustworthy, notably at the time of the War Against the Nightmare when King Varian Wrynn noted that he had no reason to believe in the honor of blood elves, as they had turned to absorbing demonic magic after the loss of their vaunted power source, the Sunwell, and had subsequently become addicted to the fel energies.Stormrage, chapter 10 However, relationship with humans, in general, seems to have improved since the acceptance of blood elves in Dalaran. In the Kirin Tor, Rhonin and Jaina Proudmoore have defended the blood elves from their Alliance counter-parts and their high elven allies, until their neutrality was abused, which led to the Purge of Dalaran.The Fate of Dalaran During the Alliance-Horde war, the actions of Garrosh Hellscream led Lor'themar Theron to improve relations with the other faction, even entering into negotiations with King Varian Wrynn and Stormwind to rejoin the Alliance.What Had To Be Done However the purge led by Jaina put a definitive end to the negotiations, and the blood elves remained in the ranks of the Horde.
The sin'dorei appear to hold little opinion on the dwarves. A number have raised their voices against Ironforge, even going so far as to state how the dwarves have "never been a friend" to Quel'Thalas, but this sentiment is sparse. The rivalry between the sin'dorei and the dwarves regarding ancient artifacts has recently emerged, the Reliquary rising to counter the dwarven Explorer's League. The elves of Quel'Thalas are one of the few races the dwarves of Aerie Peak have ever trusted; the elves sent their evacuated children to seek refuge with them during the Scourge invasion.
A particularly bitter grudge lies between the blood elves and the night elves. Indeed, night elves regard blood elves with suspicion, disgust, or outright hostility, while the blood elves, in turn, view their kaldorei cousins as savages.Melaya Tassier To night elves, the sin'dorei stink of desperation and arcane magic. Shortly after the magisters' return and the reclamation of Silvermoon, a night elven cadre entered Quel'Thalas to spy on the blood elves' activities, though were forcibly expelled. More recently, the blood elves have expressed an outrage at the return of the Highborne into the night elves' ranks, and are eager to see the trouble the new kaldorei magi will no doubt get themselves into. The sin'dorei have also assisted in removing the night elves from Azshara, eager to learn more of their Highborne heritage with the kaldorei out of the picture.
The blood elves have a convoluted history with the draenei. Kael'thas's blood elven forces were responsible for the bewildered draenei fleeing Outland in the Exodar, and furthermore responsible for its crash landing into Azeroth. They later attempted to summon reinforcements from Tempest Keep in order to conquer the Exodar completely and slaughter the remaining draenei. Prophet Velen, however, had seen a vision of what was to come - including the fate of M'uru, Lady Liadrin's plight, and Silvermoon City's future in the wake of Kael'thas' betrayal. Despite the grievances perpetrated by Kael'thas' blood elves against the draenei, Velen himself would be the one to reignite the Sunwell for the sin'dorei with M'uru's final spark. Despite their misgivings, the Shattered Sun Offensive showcased what the coalition of the Aldor and the Scryers can do when of a like mind. The two races fought together once again during the war in Draenor.
==Leadership==
Prior to the Third War, Quel'Thalas was ruled as a monarchy, with High King Anasterian Sunstrider as the last high elven monarch. Anasterian's long rule, which lasted at least roughly 2,800 years, was complemented by the Convocation of Silvermoon, a high council of elven lords who had vowed to assist the Sunstriders in keeping Quel'Thalas safe. However, during the Scourge onslaught, Anasterian was killed and the entire Convocation was eradicated.
In the wake of the utter destruction of Quel'Thalas' leadership, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider went on to become the sole leader of the newly named blood elves. Though still essentially a monarch, Kael'thas did not appear to officially take the elven crown, instead styling himself as the "Lord of the blood elves" and "The Sun King." Kael'thas decided not to revitalize the Convocation, and instead commanded Lor'themar Theron, the former second in command to Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner, to act as Quel'Thalas' regent during the prince's absence.
Ultimately, with the betrayal and death of Prince Kael'thas, Lor'themar has become the sole leader of the blood elven people. With the Sunstrider dynasty completely finished, the crown is unclaimed, and even Lor'themar himself has opted not to take it - or restore the Convocation - instead retaining his role as the "Regent Lord." Lor'themar, who is unmarried and without children, finds ruling Quel'Thalas to be a difficult balancing act between practical necessities and higher ideals for his people; and as such, has no intention of starting his own dynasty.Ultimate Visual Guide, pg. 145 Furthermore, he believes that no one remains with a right to the crown of Quel'Thalas, and has respected Kael'thas's decree that Anasterian would be its last king.
Burning Crusade Classic - Kael'thas.jpg||Kael'thas Sunstrider
Lor'themar Theron HS.jpg|Lor'themar Theron
Grand Magister Rommath HS.jpg|Grand Magister Rommath
Halduron Brightwing HS.jpg|Halduron Brightwing
Liadrin Hearthstone.jpg|Lady Liadrin
Aethas Sunreaver HS.jpg|Aethas Sunreaver
As such, the blood elves are currently in a state of interregnum, with Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron as their sole leader.
The blood elves have a number of other leaders. Halduron Brightwing, the Ranger-general of Silvermoon, serves as the leader of the Farstriders and the blood elven military commander. Grand Magister Rommath presides over the magisters, the most magically-inclined and powerful spellcasters in sin'dorei society, while Lady Liadrin rules the Blood Knight order as its supreme leader and Matriarch. In Dalaran, the Sunreavers are led by Archmage Aethas Sunreaver.
==Blood elf organizations==
The sin'dorei have a number of organizations, mostly affiliated directly with Quel'Thalas.
===Farstriders===
One of the most iconic elven organizations are the Farstriders. This elite organization of blood elf rangers can trace its roots back to the Troll Wars when a loosely affiliated band of high elf warriors occasionally worked together to defend Quel'Thalas. Led by the Ranger-general of Silvermoon, Halduron Brightwing, they are perhaps the group most in touch with their high elven roots. Masters of the wilderness and many knowing their homeland inside and out, the Farstriders operate mostly in and around Quel'Thalas. Peerless marksmen and women, they are the masters of surgical strikes and ambushes. Though part of the blood elven government, they are not a formal military.The Warcraft Encyclopedia: Farstriders The Farstriders have long been considered valiant and honorable elves who regarded the law with deep respect and faith. Indeed, they have long been considered the epitome of selfless dedication.
A small organization named the Blood Hawks serves Quel'Thalas from Eversong, and its leadership reports directly to Ranger General Halduron.
===Blood Knights===
After the blood elves began to use more dubious methods of sating their addiction, a number of the elves felt the Light abandon them. In turn, this led Lady Liadrin, a priestess of the light, to renounce her vows on the grounds that the light had forsaken the sin'dorei race. However, Prince Kael'thas would later subdue a being of pure light - a naaru named M'uru - and had it sent back to Quel'Thalas. Rather than feed upon its energy, the magisters devised a better use of its power - and after experimentation, they succeeded in allowing the blood elves to forcibly take their holy power from the supposedly unwilling being. Thus, the Blood Knights were born, under Liadrin's personal leadership. The will of the order would be tested when M'uru was stolen from Silvermoon, and the Blood Knights were left bereft of a power source. However, with the revitalization of the Sunwell, reborn as a fount of holy and arcane power, the Blood Knights of Silvermoon now channel their power directly from it - a far less damaging and more harmonious relationship than their previous method of wielding the light.
The Blood Knights quickly gained popular support within Quel'Thalas, and their membership has since expanded. The Blood Knights serve as the iron protectors of Quel'Thalas, faithful servants of Silvermoon, and occasionally as state enforcers.Gatewatcher Aendor
===Magisters===
One of the most prominent groups within Quel'Thalas, and a group whose magical formidability is considered fearsome by even Dalaran's standards, are the magisters. Led by Rommath, the Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas, the magisters are among the most respected and politically powerful groups in all of Quel'Thalas and serves as Silvermoon's primary order of magi. They are directly responsible for the reclamation of the elven homeland from the Scourge, and it was their mastery over magic that enabled them to rebuild Silvermoon City "almost overnight." The magisters were able to twist even the energies of a naaru for the blood elves' use, leading to the creation of the Blood Knights. The various arcane structures around the city itself are empowered by their volatile magics, and the thought of what one of the most powerful magi organizations in Azeroth could bring to the Horde was a key component in the blood elves being accepted by it.
===Sunreavers===
Led by Archmage Aethas Sunreaver, the Sunreavers are a group of blood elves who desire to see the sin'dorei admitted as members of the Kirin Tor. Traditionally barred from Dalaran, the Horde was granted sanctuary in the city due to their efforts. Due to recent betrayals of the Kirin Tor from within the group, Jaina Proudmoore ordered them purged from Dalaran. This event led to the incarceration of Sunreaver civilians and those who were willing to surrender, and the demise of those who were not.
Backed by Silvermoon and championed by regent lord Lor'themar himself, the Sunreavers who escaped the purge took up arms against Lei Shen and the Kirin Tor on the Isle of Thunder, with the goal of acquiring powerful leverage to secure the blood elves' future should Garrosh Hellscream's Horde fall to anarchy.
===Reliquary===
The Reliquary is an organization led by High Examiner Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher and operates as a Horde counter to the Explorer's League. They seek to acquire artifacts of great power to free completely the elven race of their magical addiction.Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher gossip text They conducted operations during the Cataclysm, Alliance-Horde war on Pandaria, war in Draenor, third invasion of the Burning Legion on the Broken Isles, the Fourth War on Zandalar, and notably they joined forces with the Explorers' League for the Dragonscale Expedition on the Dragon Isles.
===Sunfury===
The Sunfury were among the most powerful blood elves that Prince Kael'thas led into Outland. They numbered in the thousands.Excerpts from the Journal of Archmage Vargoth They were situated mainly in the magic-rich area of Netherstorm, while other blood elves dispersed between the armies of the Scryers and Illidan Stormrage. Led by numerous generals such as Daellis Dawnstrike, a group attacked and slaughtered the local Kirin'Var Village and its residents, and other members of the Sunfury saw to the dismantling of the manaforges in the area for their master's gain. They were one of the more ruthless sects of blood elves found in Outland.
Following the betrayal of Kael'thas, however, a number of the Sunfury returned home to serve their people rather than follow Kael's increasingly damning path, thus affiliating themselves with Quel'Thalas and the Horde. Though now an official part of Silvermoon's military, the Sunfury have made only a minor appearance in World of Warcraft in such an incarnation.
===Scryers===
The Scryers were once high-ranking blood elves in Prince Kael'thas's army, their ranks including some of the most gifted scholars and magisters that Kael had led into Outland. They are led by Voren'thal the Seer, a magus of considerable prowess and age.Bound for Glory (quest) Voren'thal grew increasingly troubled by the dark path his prince was treading and was granted visions of the naaru, A'dal. Believing that the Sin'dorei's only chance for survival rested with the naaru, Voren'thal, and his followers chose to abandon Kael's cause.
The Scryers sought to save their people from Kael's downfall and uncovered concrete evidence that the prince had begun consorting with the Burning Legion.Damning Evidence Though sponsored by the city's naaru hosts, the Scryers' draenei counterparts, the Aldor, did not take kindly to the Scryers' presence in the city; a factional divide quickly broke out between the two. Following Kael's defeat in Tempest Keep, Scryer forces returned home to Quel'Thalas under the banner of the Shattered Sun Offensive (a coalition of Aldor and Scryers banding together) to end Kael's ambitions for good.
What became of the Scryers following the demise of Kael'thas, the defeat of Kil'jaeden, and the restoration of the Sunwell is unclear, although they still answer to the naaru first and foremost.WarcraftDevs on Twitter: "Both the Aldor & the Scryers still answer to the Naaru first & foremost. (1/2)"
===Others===
Notable blood elf organizations affiliated elsewhere (with Kael'thas, Illidan or the Burning Legion) include the Eclipsion, the Sunseekers, the Shadowsword, the Sunhawks, the Sunblade, the Dawnblade, the Crimson Hand, and the Firewing.
==Notable==
Name	Role 	Affiliation 	Status	Location
 	Last scion of the Sunstrider dynasty and lord of the blood elves. 	Sunfury, Burning Legion 	 	Buried on the Isle of Quel'Danas Spirit active amongst the venthyr
 	Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas and representative of the blood elves on the Horde Council. 	Farstriders, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	Ranger-General of Silvermoon and leader of the Farstriders. 	Farstriders, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas, formerly Herald of Prince Kael'thas and Archmage of the Kirin Tor. 	Magisters, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	Matriarch of the Blood Knights and leader of the Sunsworn. Once the High priestess of Quel'Thalas.	Blood Knights, Sunsworn, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	Leader of the Sunreavers and Archmage of the Kirin Tor. Former member of the Council of Six. 	Sunreavers, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, Kirin Tor 	 	Various locations
 	High Examiner and leader of the Reliquary. 	Reliquary, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	Co-creator of the Blood Knights, formerly advisor to Kael'thas Sunstrider. 	Magisters, Blood Knights, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	Second in command of the Blood Knights, brother of Falon. 	Blood Knights, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas 	 	Various locations
 	First death knight to re-join the Horde. 	Knights of the Ebon Blade, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas	 	Various locations
 	High-ranking demon hunter and lieutenant of Illidan Stormrage. 	Illidari 	 	Various locations
 	Leader of the Scryers, once a close advisor to Prince Kael'thas. 	Scryers, Sha'tar 	 	Seer's Library, Shattrath City
 	King Anduin Wrynn's personal spy and Shadow of the Uncrowned. 	Uncrowned, House of Wrynn 	 	Various locations
 	Ally of Sintharia in an attempt to create the twilight dragonflight. 	Black dragonflight 	 	Grim Batol
 	A distant relative of the Sunstrider family and the latest wielder of :Felo'melorn. 	Scourge 	 	Icecrown Citadel
==Ancestry and offshoots==
The blood elves of today descended from the night elves. Though the sin'dorei style themselves as having been "reborn" from the ashes of the shattered quel'dorei, in biological essence the two groups belong to the same race. Blood elves are the hosts of several other newly-emerged races, each stemming from sin'dorei roots as the sin'dorei did from the kaldorei - though not by conventional means:
* - The raised undead elves originally created by Arthas to serve the Scourge include the dark rangers of the Forsaken and the vampiric San'layn who continue to serve the Scourge.
* Wretched - If a blood elf fails to control their addiction, they will often succumb to the thralls of it and gorge themselves excessively on power without thought for constraint. Physically warped from their elven appearance, this savage blood elf offshoot represents itself via a primal form of "society" and serves as a warning to the blood elves - if their magical addiction is not controlled, then this pitiful fate may await them. Though generally disorganized, some followed Kael'thas Sunstrider to the Isle of Quel'Danas, where the last of them were put to the sword. Ironically, Kael'thas himself would end up a wretched. Recently, the quel'dorei have also produced a Wretched offshoot.
* - The demonic offshoot who, like the orcs before them, have been corrupted by the Burning Legion. After returning to Azeroth with the corrupted Prince Kael'thas, these loyal remnants of his army were allowed to gorge themselves on colossal amounts of demon blood. The felblood elves have taken on various demonic traits, among them black wings, a demonic skin colors, and horns. Though far more formidable combatants than the relatively small amount of Wretched, the felblood elves have been seen to covet fel energies all the same, channeling it and indulging themselves without fear of repercussion. Their forces and their one major organization were defeated in the Sunwell Plateau.
* - The blood elves who were transformed through the power of the Void. They were recruited into the Alliance thanks to Alleria Windrunner.
==In the RPG==
Blood elves between the Third War and World of Warcraft were physically identical to high elves, save that they dressed primarily in blacks and reds to remind themselves of their terrible losses. Many painted runes or mysterious tattoos on their faces, arms, and shoulders for warding off demons or celebrating significant kills or simply to look intimidating — something high elves would never do. As well, they adopted hairstyles that went against the norms of high elf society.Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 15 Nevertheless when approaching Alliance towns blood elves would often disguise themselves as high elves to avoid harm.Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 68
Separated more by cultural differences than physiological ones, it has since been determined that they are, in fact, beginning to evolve into a separate race, due largely to their consumption of mana from primarily fel sources.Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 6 - 7, 14 - 15, 67 - 69Monster Guide, pg. 54 - 55 This reliance on fel magic causes the eyes of blood elves to glow green with demonic fire. This readily available source of energy also tends to give blood elves a ruddier or paler look compared to their quel'dorei cousins. A blood elf can appear like a high elf bearing odd red tattoos across his or her face and arms. However, his or her hair and skin is much paler than that of a high elf, their eyes glint with a green light, and they wear blood-red robes.
These represent signs of evolution from their high elven cousins, and it is believed that, with time, they may become as physically distant to high elves as satyrs are to night elves.
Blood elves have no permanent settlements on Azeroth; the only blood elf communities are located in Outland, the extradimensional wasteland of Illidan's exile.Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 15 Despite this, a number of them can be found at Quel'Danas under the leadership of Aquel'Luer'Thala.Lands of Conflict, pg. 113
===Languages===
Blood elves speak Thalassian, the age-old language of their ancient race, and have learned the languages of their allies and enemies.Monster Guide, pg. 65Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 16
===Names===
As seen with most blood elves who survived the Third War, the sin'dorei have (for the most part) retained their quel'dorei names. As such, the same naming rules are typical of their high elven cousins. The high and blood elves share a connection with the sun that is quite prevalent in their choice of family names.World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 37
*Male Names: Mariel, Athaniar, Anandor, Tharama, Viridiel, Malanior.
*Female Names: Anarial, Freja, Driana, Coria, Alanassori, Melanion, Azshara.
*Family Names: Boughstrider, Dawnblade, Lightbringer, Morningray, Suntreader.
===Classes===
Many blood elves are warlocks or mages, though some become hunters, scouts, or warriors — especially those seeking to be spellbreakers, demon hunters, and rangers. A few continue to draw power from the Light and remain priests. Some blood elves take their demonic obsession one step further and become felsworn, while others choose to draw on the magic of the Legion and become blood mages.
===Alignment===
Most blood elves are not insane or evil—they just choose to fight fire with fire. They are suffering due to the loss of their precious Sunwell; they all needed—and still need—to feed on arcane energies, even though most of them aren't spellcasters. The most powerful blood elf spellcasters are insane, as the magic they wield is corrupting.Monster Guide, pg. 64 - 65 Farstriders is one of the few groups that still have any of these virtues.Dark Factions, pg. 152 Blood elves as a whole are classified as the "neutral" alignment.Monster Guide, pg. 64
===Other relationships===
While they hate most races, they have come to accept the Forsaken, as they share the same goals. The western Horde recognizes the blood elves as dangerous, volatile and ultimately destructive. The Horde orcs, Darkspear trolls and tauren distrust the blood elves, as their addiction to magic makes the high elves look like amateurs. In particular, the orcs revile the blood elves because they see them as descending down the same path toward damnation that so corrupted the orcish people — the orcs can smell the demon taint on the blood elves and know how badly it will twist them. The blood elves consider the Horde to be barbarians who refuse to grasp power in front of them. They especially dislike the orcs, who should have been strong enough to control the power the demons gave them instead of falling under their command.Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 68 - 69 Blood elves reek of fel power, offending the spiritual senses of night elves and tauren.
Blood elves feel betrayed by the Alliance and are enemies of both humanity and the night elves. The blood elves try to draw the remaining high elves into their fold — a concept the goodly high elves view with horror and revulsion. Indeed, the existence of the blood elves demonstrates the depth of the corruption possible for this once mighty race, and the high elves see them as a dire warning. Many high elves seek to make amends for evils wrought by their demented kin. Blood elves get along well with the naga — with whom they share Highborne ancestry — and other independent factions. They are not welcome in Alliance lands. The Alliance represents all that the blood elves hate in the world. The humans led the Exodus from Lordaeron, abandoning the blood elves to the Scourge, taking many high elves with them. The high elves are weak; they have the potential to reach blood elf status, but they will not embrace the power and therefore are of little use. The night elves are remembered as the elves who banished them from their homes so very long ago, and those grudges still run deep. The other races are disliked merely for their representation in the Alliance — the friend of my enemy is my enemy, so to speak. The Alliance views them as dangerous (and mad, in some cases). The arcane spellcasters in the Alliance agree that the blood elves have gone too far in their quest for power — even the high elves are sickened and frightened by their former brethren's loss of compassion and self-control. The blood elves have little use for the Alliance, and the downfall of this faction is next on their list after they have purged the Scourge from Lordaeron.
The blood elves consider the naga their allies and friends. The other neutral races that interest them are the goblins and some of dark trolls. The goblins are the only merchants who will sell to the blood elves without prejudice; if an Alliance or Horde merchant would even allow a blood elf to look at her goods, she would most certainly raise the prices astronomically. The troll tribes often have items or information of use to the blood elves, and they hate the night elves with almost the same passion. The blood elves have few opinions on the other independent races — those that worship a divine power are weaklings, and those that remain neutral are of little consequence.
Many blood elves have insinuated their way back into the world and seek out places rich in magical power — such as Ashenvale Forest. Some blood elves, steeped so thick in pain and anger, have joined the Shadow Council in Felwood.
==In the TCG==
Blood elven priests are more of a quandary, however, as comparatively little is known about their own outlooks on the Light. Some viewed the Blood Knights' opinion on the Light's abandonment as "folly," and continued to embrace it as priests and priestesses as the Light regardless of the new direction their society was heading in.Raesa Morningstar "The light sustains us, and it will ease even the heaviest of burdens. To think it has abandoned us is pure folly."
Blood elves have green eyes, but a blood elf warlock in the TCG has purple eyes.Ritual of Souls (Servants of the Betrayer), Official TCG Artwork. Mages, paladins and others have been seen with golden eyes.Apostle of Argus (Fields of Honor), Official TCG Artwork.Thoros the Savior, Official TCG Artwork.Magistrix Larynna (Servants of the Betrayer), Official TCG Artwork.Meltdown, Official TCG Artwork.Firewarden Wyland Kaslinth (Scourgewar), Official TCG Artwork.Fingers of Frost (Icecrown), Official TCG Artwork.
Furthermore, a blood elf mage is seen with glowing red eyes while casting an invisibility spell. Whether the eye color has any correlation with arcane, or the specific spell being used, is unknown.Invisibility (Servants of the Betrayer), Official TCG Artwork.
==Notes and trivia==
*"Silvermoon" Harry appears to be one of the biggest blood elf fans on Azeroth.
*The official The Burning Crusade webpage mentioned blood elves having a "dark destiny."http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade/townhall/index.html This likely referred to the fact that blood elves under Kael'thas had joined with the Burning Legion.
*The RPG seeded the idea of blood elves bearing runic tattoos to ward off demons, and early blood elf artwork depicted them with such. The idea seemed to have been dropped by the time they were made playable in World of Warcraft; neither the playable faction in Silvermoon nor Kael's elves on Outland are seen sporting any tattoos. The sole exception seems to be Grand Magister Rommath, whose unique model appears to depict him with runic tattoos on his arms, though it's unclear as to whether it's a tattoo or a part of his clothing.
*Samwise Didier describes the blood elves as the "rock stars" of World of Warcraft: both male and female elves are slender, regal and beautiful, with rich and elaborate clothing; they are also intensely proud, inclining to a little egotism; and most of all, they were addicts for the longest time. Since then, "They cleaned up their act, and now they're doing well!"The Art of Warcraft
*When working on concepts for a blood elf racial mount, the designers "debated everything from unicorns to nether sea horses."
==Inspirations==
Blood elves appear inspired by a blend of other fictional settings such as and of real-life cultural elements such as , , motifs invoking the , Germanic mythology, and French historical elements.
*Game developers described blood elves as " as if he went down a pretty heavy path".Green, Jeff (December 2005). Computer Gaming World Issue 257, pg. 65. Retrieved on 2021-07-24.
*The "Elves living in a magic forest"-theme inherited from Tolkien is ultimately based on Seelie Elves from Scottish folklore. Some place names are Celtic-derived (like Caer Darrow).
*The reforging of Felo'melorn by Kael'thas is comparable to the reforging of Anduril for Aragorn in .
*Blood elves might also echo Hyperboreans, as described by the ancient Greek poet Pindar: People with an extremely long lifespan, living in the far north in eternal spring, and favored by the sun god Apollo.
*Blood elf aesthetics resemble while other architectural elements resemble and period architecture.
*There are s in most blood elf inns and other locations, similar to many Middle Eastern cultures.
*Blood elven ships resemble Byzantine dromon, Chinese s, Arab and .
*The motif is rooted in Greek and Egyptian/North African myth.
*Various names of the blood elves derive from either mythology, such as Sylvanas ( the Roman god), Alleria (an ancient variation of the Roman name ) and Halduron (Haldir from Lord of the Rings)
*The description of Kael'thas as the "Sun King" could be a reference to of France, nicknamed "the Sun King".
*The garden layouts in both Quel'Thalas and Quel'Danas resemble s.
==Gallery==
;World of Warcraft
File:Blood elf heritage armor.jpg|Heritage of the Sin'dorei armor set.
File:KaelthasVenthyr.png|Kael'thas Sunstrider
File:Lor'themar Tides of Vengeance.png|Lor'themar Theron
File:Grand Magister Rommath.jpg|Grand Magister Rommath
File:Halduron Brightwing.jpg|Halduron Brightwing
File:NewLiadrin.png|Lady Liadrin
File:Valeera (Great Seal).jpg|Valeera Sanguinar
File:Lynnore Cata.jpg|A female blood elf.
File:Bloodmage Drazial.jpg|A male blood elf.
File:Salandria - Grown.jpg|With golden eyes in 8.0.
File:Randy.jpg|Blood elf male child.
File:Dophnu.jpg|Blood elf female child.
File:Silvermoon Spellbreaker.jpg|NPC guard model.
File:Bloodmage Lynnore old.jpg|A female model prior to The Burning Crusade.
File:Bloodmage Drazial old.jpg|A male model prior to The Burning Crusade.
File:Model updates - blood elf female.jpg|6.1 model update.
File:Model updates - blood elf male.jpg|6.1 model update.
File:Blood elf duck face fixed.jpg|8.0 male blood elf face updated (on the right).
File:HomeoftheBloodElves4.1.JPG|Early female blood elf.
File:HomeoftheBloodElves5.2.JPG|Early male blood elf.
File:BloodElves.jpeg|Early blood elf models following their announcement.
File:DH BE Armor Female 00 PNG.png|7.0 female blood elf demon hunter.
File:DH BE Armor Male 03 PNG.png|7.0 male blood elf demon hunter.
File:Silvermoon City Banner.jpg|The Blood elf banner.
File:Sunfury standard.jpg|The Sunfury banner.
File:Reliquary banner.png|The Reliquary banner.
File:Glorious Standard of the Sunreaver Onslaught.jpg|The Sunreaver Onslaught banner.
File:Blood Elven Tent.jpg|Red-colored tent
File:Ballista blood.jpg|Blood elf ballista
File:OrbTransCloseup.jpg|Orb of Translocation
File:Firewing-manabomb.jpg|Blood elf mana bomb
File:Arcane Guardian.jpg|Blood elf Arcane golem 
;Art
File:LorthemarConcept.jpg|Lor'themar concept art for patch 8.1.
File:Bloodelves03-full.jpg|A blood elf mage concept art.
File:Blood Elf Female Paladin.jpg|A blood elf paladin concept art.
File:BloodElfWarlock.jpg|A blood elf warlock concept art.
File:BEPriestess.jpg|Blood elf priestess cinematic concept art.
File:Spellbreaker.jpg|Spellbreaker concept art.
File:BloodKnightSots.jpg|Blood Knight by Glenn Rane.
File:Bloodmagesamwise.jpg|Blood mage by Samwise Didier.
File:Blood elf battlemage glenn rane.jpg|Battle mage by Glenn Rane.
File:ManaTap.jpg|The blood elf-ability :Mana Tap by Glenn Rane.
File:Valeera Sanguinar 2.jpg|Valeera Sanguinar concept art.
File:Valeera Sanguinar art.jpg|Valeera Sanguinar concept art.
File:Blood Elf vs Draenei.jpg|Valeera Sanguinar in battle with a draenei paladin by Wei Wang.
File:Blood Elf Mage concept.jpg|Mage concept art.
File:Blood elf concept.jpg|Ranger concept art.
File:Blood elf City guard concept.jpg|City guard concept art.
File:Blood elf Royal guard concept.jpg|Royal guard concept art.
File:Blood Elf Warlock concept.jpg|Warlock concept art.
File:Blood elf concept arts.jpg|Concept arts, among them a Royal Guard.
File:Demon Chamber - Jimmy Lo.jpg|"Demon Chamber" environment concept.
File:DH1.jpg|Demon hunter artwork.
File:Demon hunter concept 1.jpg|Demon hunter concept.
File:Demon hunter concept 3.jpg|Demon hunter concept.
File:Blood elf concept2.jpg|Demon hunter concept.
File:Blood elf buildings by Jimmy Lo.jpg|Concept art of blood elven buildings.
File:Blood Elf Tower concept.jpg|Blood elf tower concepts.
File:Blood Elf Building concept.jpg|Blood elf building concepts.
File:Blood elf building concept 2.jpg|Blood elf building concepts.
File:Wowi10ss4.jpg|Blood elf building concepts.
File:Blood elf ship concept Dragonflight.jpg|Blood elf ship concept art Dragonflight.
;Warcraft III
File:Shards of the Alliance - Caravan.jpg|A blood elf caravan through Silverpine Forest.
File:Human Campaignx WC3 wallpaper.jpg|Blood Elf Campaign menu screen.
File:WC3R Alliance Campaign menu.jpeg|Blood Elf Campaign menu screen in Reforged.
File:Warcraft III Reforged - Kael'thas art.png|Prince Kael'thas in Reforged.
File:BTNBloodMage2-Reforged.png|Prince Kael'thas hero portrait.
File:Blood elf archer.png|Archer.
File:Bloodmage.gif|Blood Mage.
File:Blood Mage Reforged.png|Blood Mage in Reforged.
File:BTNHeroBloodElfPrince-Reforged.png|Blood Mage unit portrait.
File:Dragonhawk.gif|Dragonhawk Rider
File:Dragonhawk rider wcr.jpg|Dragonhawk Rider in Reforged.
File:BTNBloodElfPeasant-Reforged.png|Engineer unit portrait.
File:BloodElfLieutenant.png|Lieutenant.
File:BTNBloodElfLieutenant.png|Lieutenant unit portrait.
File:Priest.gif|Priest
File:Priest-Reforged.png|Priest in Reforged.
File:BTNPriestV1.png|Priest unit portrait.
File:Sorceress.gif|Sorceress.
File:WC3R High elf Sorceress.png|Sorceress in Reforged.
File:BTNSorceressV1.png|Sorceress unit portrait.
File:SpellbreakerWC3.gif|Spell Breaker.
File:Spell Breaker reforged.png|Spell Breaker in Reforged.
File:BTNSpellBreaker-Reforged.png|Spell Breaker unit portrait.
File:Blood elf swordsmen.png|Swordsman.
File:High Elf Swordsman wcr.png|Swordsman in Reforged.
File:Blood elf worker.png|Worker.
File:BTNBloodElfWorker.png|Worker unit portrait.
File:Warcraft III Reforged blood elf elemental towers.png|Blood elf elemental towers in Reforged.
;Hearthstone
File:Kael'thas Hearthstone.jpg|
File:Valeera Mercenaries 1.jpg|
File:Astalor Bloodsworn HS.jpg|
File:Arcanist Dawngrasp HS.png|
File:Asvedon, the Grandshield HS.jpg|
File:Dollmaster Dorian.jpg|
File:Lynessa Sunsorrow HS.jpg|
File:Dragoncaller Alanna.jpg|
File:Velaris HS.jpg|Velaris
File:Alexstrasza's Champion.jpg|
File:Anonymous Informant HS.jpg|
File:Blood Crusader HS.jpg|
File:Blood Guard HS.jpg|
File:Bloodied Knight HS.jpg|
File:Brave Archer HS.jpg|
File:Crystal Broker HS.jpg|
File:Devout Adventurer HS.jpg|
File:Disruptive Spellbreaker HS.jpg|
File:Enchanter HS.jpg|
File:Entrapped Sorceress HS.jpg|
File:Flight Master HS.jpg|
File:Magister's Apprentice HS.jpg|
File:Keeneye Spotter HS.png|
File:Nightbane Templar HS.jpg|
File:Race Guard HS.jpg|
File:Righteous Protector HS.jpg|
File:Sanctum Spellbender HS.png|
File:Sanguine Soldier HS.jpg|
File:Secretkeeper HS.jpg|
File:Shadowcaster HS.jpg|
File:Silverfury Stalwart HS.jpg|
File:Silvermoon Arcanist HS.jpg|
File:Silvermoon Armorer HS.jpg|
File:Sneaky Scout HS.jpg|
File:Sunfury Champion HS.jpg|
File:Translocation Instructor HS.png|
File:Wyrm Weaver HS.jpg|
File:Wyrmrest Purifier HS.jpg|
File:For QuelThalas HS.png|
File:Last Stand HS.jpg|
;Trading Card Game 
File:Addisyn the Untouchable TCG.jpg|Addisyn the Untouchable
File:Aesadonna Almere.jpg|Aesadonna Al'mere
File:Aleyah Dawnborn TCG.jpg|Aleyah Dawnborn
File:Alundra, Sin'dorei Timewalker TCG.jpg|Alundra, Sin'dorei Timewalker
File:Alyna Sunshower TCG.jpg|Alyna Sunshower 
File:Brother Keltan TCG.jpg|Brother Keltan (Wrathgate)
File:Canissa the Shadow TCG.jpg|Canissa the Shadow
File:Claemora Amberglare TCG.jpg|Claemora Amberglare (Scourgewar)
File:Crusader Farisa TCG.jpg|Crusader Farisa
File:Firewarden Wyland Kaslinth.jpg|Firewarden Wyland Kaslinth (Scourgewar)
File:Faesha Firestalker TCG.jpg|Faesha Firestalker
File:Jaedan Sunshot TCG.jpg|Jaedan Sunshot
File:Gladiator Addisyn TCG.jpg|Gladiator Addisyn (Blood of Gladiators)
File:Hekto Starspire TCG.jpg|Hekto Starspire
File:Instructor Antheol TCG.jpg|Instructor Antheol (March of the Legion)
File:Jaroth Lightguard TCG.jpg|Jaroth Lightguard
File:Jazmin Bloodlove TCG.jpg|Jazmin Bloodlove
File:Justice Blindburn TCG Drums.jpg|Justice Blindburn (Drums of War)
File:Kaerie, Defender of the Sunwell TCG.jpg|Kaerie, Defender of the Sunwell
File:Katsin Bloodoath TCG.jpg|Katsin Bloodoath
File:TCG magister ashi.jpg|Magister Ashi
File:Magistrix Valthin.jpg|Magistrix Valthin
File:Malistra the Demonmistress TCG.jpg|Malistra the Demonmistress
File:Retainer Kai TCG.jpg|Retainer Kai
File:Sunguard Cersie TCG.jpg|Sunguard Cersie
File:Telor Sunsurge.jpg|Telor Sunsurge
File:Thoros the Savior TCG.jpg|Thoros the Savior
File:Turane Soulpact TCG.jpg|Turane Soulpact
File:Tiril Dawnrider TCG.jpg|Tiril Dawnrider
File:Voltrinnia TCG.jpg|Voltrinnia
;Heroes of the Storm
File:Kael'thas HotS.jpg|Kael'thas Sunstrider
File:HotS Kael Closeup.jpg|Kael'thas in his Heroes of the Storm trailer.
File:Valeera HotS.jpg|Valeera Sanguinar
File:Hanzo HotS Farstrider.jpg|Farstrider Hanzo skin.
File:Johanna HotS Spellbreaker.jpg|Spellbreaker Johanna skin.
File:Sylvanas HotS Ranger-General Sin'dorei.jpg|Ranger-General Sylvanas Sin'dorei skin.
File:Tyrande HotS Blood Elf.jpg|Blood Elf Tyrande skin.
File:Illidan bloodelf.jpg|Illidan unreleased blood elf skin.
File:Alterac Pass blood elf leader minion.jpg|Alterac Pass blood elf leader minion.
==See also==
*Blood elf (playable)
*Rise of the Blood Elves, from the History of Warcraft
*The Burning Crusade Townhall/History of the Blood Elves
*Blood elf units in Warcraft III
*Blood elf controversy, documenting the controversy preceding the introduction of the blood elves with The Burning Crusade expansion
==References==
==External links==
 
Category:Horde races
Category:Monster Guide
Category:Alliance & Horde Compendium
Category:Dark Factions
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