Teldrassil

*“Teldrassil was the name given to the island, but only as an afterthought. The island was only an extension of the true Teldrassil... a titanic tree filling most of the land rising so high, the top vanished in the clouds. Its branches were so vast that they dwarfed some kingdoms. The thick crown could have housed an entire civilization — and did.”*

— A description of the World Tree Teldrassil

Teldrassil (meaning "Crown of the Earth" in Darnassian, and pronounced TELL-druh-sill) was a World Tree situated on the eponymous island off Kalimdor's northwestern coast. Created shortly after the Third War by the night elves, Teldrassil served as their home and primary base of operations, its thick crown housing the capital city of Darnassus. Other major settlements on the tree included Rut'theran Village, Dolanaar and Shadowglen. Owing to its size, Teldrassil possessed its own unique ecosystem with a various flora, fauna, and vast twilit forests.

According to Broll Bearmantle, as a World Tree, Teldrassil was linked to the very health of Azeroth, affecting not merely its immediate surroudings, but those lands beyond the island, and a Teldrassil that was not well could not properly maintain the balance between nature and decay. The new tree was not blessed by the Dragon Aspects at its birth, unlike its predecessor Nordrassil, which would ultimately leave it vulnerable to corruption from the Emerald Nightmare.

Teldrassil served as the largest bastion of Alliance power in Kalimdor, and maintained naval connections to the mainland, the nearby Azuremyst Isles, and the distant Eastern Kingdoms. Many young and ambitious night elves began their journey out into the world from the verdant shelter of the World Tree.

## History

After the cataclysmic events of the second invasion of the Burning Legion, Malfurion Stormrage became trapped in the Emerald Dream. In Malfurion's absence, Archdruid Fandral Staghelm took over leadership of the night elven druids, and convinced the Circle of the Ancients in Darkshore that it was time for the night elves to create a new World Tree and regain their immortality.

The Circle of the Ancients and the wise druids led by Fandral combined their powers to grow an immense tree in the Veiled Sea. They called the tree Teldrassil, meaning "crown of the earth" in Darnassian.[6] The night elves made their new home of Darnassus in the boughs of Teldrassil, creating a forest of mighty trees and flowing rivers, bathed in the endless night that fell over the lands of the elves from the dawn of time. However, the tree did not restore the night elves' immortality; Nozdormu, whose blessing on Nordrassil had been the source of their immortality, saw the night elves' wish as arrogant and refused to bless Teldrassil.

Over time, the land atop Teldrassil fell into the shadow of a sinister presence. Local creatures such as furbolgs and grell went mad, and satyrs appeared, intent on further corrupting the land. Giant turtles and threshers known to inhabit the waters surrounding Teldrassil began fleeing the tree to beach themselves and die on Darkshore. The source of this corruption remained a mystery for some time until the conflict of the Emerald Nightmare spilled into the waking world.

After Malfurion was freed from the Emerald Nightmare, he flew to Darnassus, and discovered that a remnant of a great evil had been grafted into Teldrassil by Fandral. By grafting Xavius' fel-tainted branch into Teldrassil, Fandral had given Xavius, as well as the evil behind his transformation into the Nightmare Lord, a tie to both Azeroth and the Emerald Dream.

Malfurion managed to remove the corrupt branch and eventually restore the tree to a state closer to what it originally should have been. Alexstrasza, impressed that the tree could prosper alone without her influence or her kin's, blessed it belatedly.

## Darnassus

**Darnassus** (aka **Darnassus City**) is the capital city of the night elves of the Alliance, found in western Teldrassil. The High Priestess, Tyrande Whisperwind, resides in the Temple of the Moon, surrounded by other sisters of Elune and her mate, the Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage.

Darnassus is the greatest city of the night elves, housing the leaders of both the druids and the faithful of Elune. It is carefully guarded by Sentinels, ancient protectors, and ancients of war.