Night elf

***This page is about the lore of the night elves, for the characteristics of the playable night elves, see Night elf (Playable)***

***"For ten thousand years, the immortal night elves cultivated a druidic society within the shadowed recesses of Ashenvale Forest. Yet recently, the catastrophic invasion of the Burning Legion shattered the tranquility of their ancient civilization. Led by the Arch-Druid Malfurion Stormrage and the Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, the mighty night elves rose to challenge the demonic onslaught. Though victorious, the night elves were forced to sacrifice their cherished immortality and watch their beloved forests burn. Seeking to regain their immortality, a number of wayward druids conspired to plant a special tree that would reestablish a link between their spirits and the eternal world. Despite Malfurion's warning that nature would never bless such a selfish act. The druids planted the great tree, Teldrassil, off the stormy coasts of northern Kalimdor. Among the twilight boughs of the colossal tree, the wondrous city of Darnassus took root. However, the great tree was not consecrated with nature's blessing and soon fell prey to the corruption of the Burning Legion. Now the wildlife and even the limbs of the great tree itself are tainted by a growing darkness. It is your sworn duty to defend Darnassus and the wild children of nature against the Legion’s encroaching corruption."*** -Night elves opening scene

**Night elves** (or **kaldorei**, for "children of the stars" in Darnassian), are a powerful and mystical race whose origins extend back to ancient times, being one of the longest-lived and most ancient cultures in existence today. These then-immortal beings were among the first to study magic and let it loose throughout the world nearly ten thousand years before the First War. The founders of a magical and advanced civilization which at its peak spanned the breadth of ancient Kalimdor, the night elves came into a horrific conflict with the Burning Legion but achieved a Pyrrhic victory that ended in the Great Sundering, turning Kalimdor's landmass into the continents of the present age. The devastation wrought by the chain of events birthed in conceit caused a wholesale shift in direction. Until very recently, the night elves abandoned and completely outlawed the use of arcane magic, fearing its use would draw the Legion back to their world.

The main survivors of the Sundering crafted a radically different society centered around druidism, striving to live in harmony and co-existence with nature and its inhabitants, and essentially becoming "venerable guardians" of the natural world as well as the World Tree Nordrassil instead of ruling most of Azeroth as its foremost superpower, in addition reconnecting with the widespread worship of their moon goddess Elune, under the guidance of their leaders Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind. The night elves established their newest capital Darnassus in the boughs of the World Tree Teldrassil off the coasts of northwestern Kalimdor in recent times, where it stood as a living symbol of the night elves' rich culture and glorious history.

The far-reaching and ancient legacy of the night elves shaped them into a race of very self-sufficient and self-conscious individuals, who often display strong streaks of isolationism and eons of accumulated ancient wisdom. The night elves ended a long period of seclusion referred to as the Long Vigil in the aftermath of the Third War, standing with refugees from the Eastern Kingdoms during the Battle of Mount Hyjal. They then began to associate themselves with the Alliance, at least partly in response to the Horde's continued presence in Ashenvale.

### Rise of the Kaldorei Empire

“Long had the children of the stars dwelled upon the banks of the shimmering waters of the Eternal Well. To all was known that Elune, light of the eternal twilight, aspect and goddess of the moon, dwelt within its waters at such time that she rested from her works. Upon the shores of the Well did the children of the stars, favoured of Elune, build their homes, even as their gaze was trained ever skyward, into the moonlit night. Though there were many towns and places of habitation constructed upon the lakeshore, Ameth'Aran and Bashal'Aran were the foremost, having the touch of Azshara, the Kaldorei's beloved queen, in their creation. Her favored servitors, those of the highborne, she brought to the twin towns to reside...”

— The Lay of Ameth'Aran
In time, many of the night elves yearned for a different life, drawn to the arcane, they became obsessed with unlocking the Well of Eternity's secrets. They rigorously studied the fount's arcane energies becoming learned sorcerers. They harnessed the powers of the arcane lake and constructed wondrous temples and roadways around it. Magic became an inseparable part of life as the night elves reveled in the power at their fingertips. Pushing the boundaries of their intellect became the driving force of their culture. It was during this era of unprecedented growth that Queen Azshara came to power. She was adored by night elves of every social standing, seemingly immune to the ire the lower castes developed against some of their Highborne nobles. The elves were so enamored with her that they renamed their wondrous capital Zin-Azshari, or "the Glory of Azshara". Sharing the priests' curiosity towards the Well of Eternity, Azshara pushed the educated Highborne to plumb its secrets and reveal its true purpose in the world. The Highborne buried themselves in their work and studied the Well ceaselessly.

The night elf empire then started their rise to power by defeating the nearby troll tribes. Against their enemies, the kaldorei used overwhelming military power, their armies supported by Elune's blessings. The night elves' greatest soldiers were bestowed the goddess' fury through dangerous rituals, and these Night Warriors secured Kalimdor for the empire.

The empire saw the creation of such marvelous wonders that Azeroth would never see its like again, even in the modern age. Expeditionary forces, too, would be sent to explore and spread the empire's borders, bringing back tales of far-away lands and races.

But only the openly hostile troll nations drew the full attention of the elves. Despite their battles with the trolls, the night elves had built up the mighty Kaldorei Empire that expanded rapidly across Kalimdor. Not since the Black Empire in ages past had a territory grown so vast in size and scope. The immense influence Azshara held over the world and its denizens eclipsed even Lei Shen's wildest dreams of power. Empowered by the Well and wielding fierce magics never before imagined by the trolls, the night elves soon threatened the two greatest empires on Azeroth: the Amani and Gurubashi.

The night elves systematically dismantled the troll's defenses and supply chains. Unable to counter the elves' destructive magics, the trolls buckled under the onslaught. The territories of the Gurubashi and Amani empires fragmented within only a few years. The elves however were not interested in more conquest. In the eyes of Queen Azshara, the trolls were a minor nuisance, their battle lust a symptom of primitive and unenlightened minds. Ultimately, the queen struck an accord with the Zandalar tribe, which held immense influence over all other trolls. In exchange for ending troll incursions into night elf territory, the Zandalari would be allowed to keep the sacred Zandalar Mountains south of the Well of Eternity. Fully aware they stood no chance against their enemies' arcane powers, the trolls begrudgingly agreed. The night elves' shockingly quick victory and the trolls' shameful acquiescence fostered the trolls' deep resentment and eternal hatred toward night elves, lasting to this very day.

Yet, as the seemingly endless ages passed, the night elves' civilization expanded both territorially and culturally. Their temples, roads, and dwelling places stretched across the breadth of the dark continent. Azshara built an immense, wondrous palace on the Well's shore that housed her favored servitors within its bejeweled halls. There the most powerful nobles, whom she called the Quel'dorei or "Highborne", doted on her every command and believed themselves to be greater than the rest of their lower-caste brethren. The leaders of regions in the night elf empire were called prince/princess, such as Prince Tortheldrin of Eldre'Thalas, Prince Farondis of Azsuna, and Prince Toreth of Loreth'Aran.

They continued developing the ability to manipulate and control the Well's cosmic energies to great heights and power not wielded before. Azshara believed the night elves so far had only tapped a small portion of its power. As their reckless experiments progressed, the Highborne found that they could wield the cosmic powers of the universe to either create or destroy with devastating effect at their leisure. Although they agreed that arcane magic was inherently dangerous if handled irresponsibly, Azshara and her Highborne began to practice their spellcraft with reckless abandon performing increasingly dangerous experiments causing waves of arcane energy cascading into the Twisting Nether.

Cenarius and many of the wizened night elf scholars warned that only calamity would result from such abuse. Cenarius had watched the night elf empire expand with growing unease. Year by year, he became increasingly frustrated with the hubris and thoughtless actions of the sorcerous Highborne. The majority of night elf society continued honoring the old ways of revering the wilds. The fact that these folk still lived in harmony with the land alongside their great magical advancement warmed Cenarius' heart, but he knew that they had no influence over Azshara and her arrogant followers whose regard for living in harmony lessened as their power and arrogance grew. As time passed, the night elves began eschewing diplomacy and largely ignored Azeroth's other cultures. Azshara's dogmatic beliefs regarding racial purity seeped into the night elves' psyche, creating an atmosphere rife with xenophobia. But, Azshara and her followers stubbornly continued to expand their burgeoning powers.

### War of the Ancients

*Main article: War of the Ancients*
Thus began the corruption of the elves. As their powers grew, a distinct change came over Azshara and the Highborne. The haughty, aloof upper class became increasingly callous and cruel towards their fellow night elves. A dark, brooding pall veiled Azshara's once entrancing beauty. She began to withdraw from her loving subjects and refused to interact with any but her trusted Highborne priests. The pandaren, long-time allies of the night elf people, saw this change overcoming the night elves and decided to sever all ties.

Before they left, the pandaren decided to offer the Highborne a gift, a chest of pandaren design, said to contain all the arcane magic they would ever need. The gift was accepted and taken down into a royal vault in the Temple of Zin-Malor in Eldarath. However, when the chest was opened, it was found to contain absolutely nothing. The pandaren's gift was actually a message of advice and wisdom to the Highborne: all the arcane magic they needed was nothing, or in other words, they did not need it at all. The chest and the message it represented continued to exist in the vault even 10,000 years later, but as history would record, the pandaren's wisdom fell on deaf ears.

Posing as a venerable god, Sargeras managed to contact Azshara. Sargeras convinced Azshara, and her most loyal assistant, the Lord Counselor Xavius, to open a gateway to Azeroth that this mighty "god" might come forth and "bless" their whole race (meanwhile eradicating all races deemed "unworthy"). In their insolence, those born to nobility, the Highborne, sought to use and control this source of unimaginable power and unspeakable evil; and for their pride, they were consumed by the magic they so eagerly wished to wield.

As the portal into the mortal world grew larger, Sargeras sent ever more numerous "emissaries" to aid with the portal and bring the word of their god from the beyond. These demons were members of Sargeras's immortal army, known as the Burning Legion, and they had put to the flame countless worlds throughout the cosmos. As the portal grew close to its completion to allow the dark titan entry to Azeroth, a small band of kaldorei led by Malfurion Stormrage, the first druid, Tyrande Whisperwind, the high priestess of Elune, and Jarod Shadowsong realized the threat posed to their entire world by this nameless evil and the now-crazed Azshara. Realizing his seemingly imminent victory could be threatened by these few elves, Sargeras commanded that his Legion make war upon Azeroth and destroy the unworthy, which included the entirety of the kaldorei race.

As war raged across the young world, many protectors of the world emerged to aid the young Malfurion Stormrage in closing this portal to the Twisting Nether and the malevolence which now stood poised to destroy them all. The demigod Cenarius and his fellow Ancient Guardians, the Dragon Aspects, the Earthen, the ancients, the tauren and the furbolg clashed head on with the advancing Legion. Having learned much about the power and beauty of nature from his shan'do, Cenarius, Malfurion was able to disrupt the nearly completed portal spell and close his world off from the invincible Sargeras.

### The Sundering

With so much power in flux, the Well of Eternity imploded in a magical cataclysm known as the Great Sundering, sending untold numbers to their doom. Many kaldorei were dragged to the bottom of the sea, only to be twisted and transformed into the sea serpents now known as the vile naga. The catastrophe tore the continent apart, its remains now separated by a massive ocean, and left a permanent storm known as the Maelstrom where the well once stood. With the majority of the Highborne dead, the kaldorei turned away from their arcane legacy and began a new culture focusing on attunement with nature and their surroundings, settling in the sacred glades around Mount Hyjal.

Illidan, Malfurion's twin brother, seeking to maintain arcane magic in the world even after the destruction of the well of eternity had also traveled to Hyjal. Here, he poured three vials filled with water from the original well of eternity into a lake, imbuing it with great power and turning it into a new well. When Illidan refused to give up his magical powers, he was captured by his brother and imprisoned within the Barrow Deeps under the watchful eye of Maiev Shadowsong.

Meanwhile, the night elves of Suramar were fully shielded from the effects of the Great Sundering due to the efforts of Elisande's group of Highborne. Elisande would come to lead the night elf society under a shield that would both serve as a refuge and prison. Cut off from all events outside, they apparently at first believed they were the only kaldorei survivors of the breaking of the world and under the eternal shroud of night and an artificial sky, these kaldorei would distinguish themselves as shal'dorei, continuing the legacy of the Kaldorei Empire under the shroud of eternal night produced by the Nightwell rather than the starlit night of before.

Far away from the center of events on Hyjal and the night elven society that would develop there, another group of Highborne dwelt in the city of Eldre'Thalas, which survived the War of the Ancients mostly intact. Although they took a long time to do it, the Highborne of House Shen'dralar who had processed the Queen's special projects rebelled against the Queen towards the end of the war when their city was besieged by the demons and it was clear the Highborne would not be exempt from their purge. The wolf god Goldrinn had fought bravely besides the city defenders and though he was ultimately slain, the Highborne were successful in defending their city. Far to the south of Mount Hyjal, the Shen'dralar did not draw the attention of the kaldorei. They powered their city by trapping a demon of immense power, Immol'thar, and used its energies to fuel their addiction and lifestyle in the absence of the power of the original well. However, despite their clever efforts, the imprisoned demon that they drew power from would come to require increasing amounts of power on its own until the net power gain became a loss. Subtly twisted by the demonic energies he was using, the Shen'dralar Prince would come to sacrifice his subjects to restore the net gain. This tug of war eventually drove this once bastion of arcana into ruin, with only a few survivors remaining, most of which were zealous supporters of the Prince.[*citation needed*]

For many years, the main night elven body atop Mount Hyjal worked tirelessly to restore what they could of their shattered ancient homeland. Leaving their broken temples, cities and roads to be overgrown, they largely chose to live on the land, out in the open or in barrow dens. They constructed very few new homes constantly on the move in patrols, although a small collection of structures were constructed amidst the verdant trees and shadowed hills at Hyjal's base called Nighthaven and served as the administrative centre from which the High Priestess Tyrande led.[*citation needed*]  In time, the dragons that had survived the great Sundering came forth from their secret abodes. Alexstrasza the red, Ysera the green, and Nozdormu the bronze descended upon the druids' tranquil glades and surveyed the fruits of the night elves' labors. Malfurion, who had become an arch-druid of immense power, greeted the mighty Dragons and told them about the creation of the new Well of Eternity. The great Dragons were alarmed to hear the news and speculated that as long as the Well remained, the Legion might use it to find Azeroth once more.

Furion and the three dragons made a pact that the night elves would serve as guards of this new well. Alexstrasza brought an enchanted acorn, a remnant of G'hanir, and placed it in the well, where it grew into Nordrassil, the first world tree. This tree would serve as a means to regulate the power of the new Well masking its energies ingeniously from radiating out into the Twisting Nether to serve as another beacon for the Legion. The tree would also mask its power signature from would-be magic users in the hope of preventing any other society from learning arcane secrets and repeating the disastrous error of the elves. The tree would forever serve as a symbol of the connection between the arcane and nature, the night elves and the natural world, and would use the energies from the well to heal the world after the devastation of the Sundering. Partly in reward for their effort in repelling the Legion invasion, Nozdormu then blessed tree, so that, as long as the tree stood, the night elves would never age or fall prey to disease. Ysera also placed an enchantment upon the World Tree by linking the spirits of the night elves to her own realm, the ethereal dimension known as the Emerald Dream. The night elf druids, including Furion himself, were bound to the Dream through the World Tree. As part of the mystical pact, the druids agreed to sleep for centuries at a time so that their spirits could roam the infinite paths of Ysera's Dreamways and the spirits of the night elves. Though the druids were wary of losing so many years of their lives to hibernation, they agreed to uphold their bargain with Ysera.

### The Long Vigil

Tyrande Whisperwind, high priestess of Elune, had become the leader of the night elf populace. For thousands of years, she led the night elves in their vigil. Much of this time was spent apart from her love, Malfurion Stormrage, who, alongside his fellow druids, upheld the balance of nature from within the Emerald Dream. However, whenever a crisis came, the druids would awaken.

One such crisis came from the remaining Highborne. The Highborne that had survived the Sundering and had settled alongside their night elf brethren initially tried to assimilate into the new druidic society, but over time they could not ignore the burning addiction to arcane magic their whole race suffered from. These Highborne, led by Dath'Remar, declared the druids cowards for refusing to wield the arcane. Malfurion and the druids warned the Highborne that any use of magic would be punishable by death. Yet, in an attempt to protest the druid's law, Dath'Remar and his followers unleashed a terrible magical storm upon Ashenvale. The night elves could not bring themselves to put so many of their kin to death, so they decided to exile the reckless Highborne from their lands. So the Highborne left Kalimdor, sailing across the sea to the other, newly-formed continent. Now calling themselves high elves, they established the nation of Quel'Thalas. In the wake of the group's departure, the remaining night elves deliberately withdrew from the rest of the world. A veil of mist descended upon their entire continent, shrouding its presence from passing sailors.

Another such incident was the War of the Satyr, a devastating war that exacted a heavy toll from the night elves. During this war, the night elves fought against the unified satyr forces of Kalimdor. In desperation, some of the night elf druids even started using the Pack Form, a dangerous druidic transformation that had been forbidden by Malfurion Stormrage. These druids would form the Druids of the Pack, who tried to use the mystical Scythe of Elune to gain control over their forms. However, this failed, and they became the first Worgen, before being sealed away in a pocket of the Emerald dream. Though losses amongst the night elves were great, the satyr eventually lost and they lost nearly all of their lands, being forced to survive as isolated sects.

During the next several millennia, the night elves were not left entirely isolated. Emmarel Shadewarden fought alongside the quel'dorei Talanas Windrunner, and Shandris Feathermoon collaborated with Ranger Captain Areiel several thousand years before current times.

During their long vigil, the biggest conflict the kaldorei fought on was probably the War of the Shifting Sands. In ancient times, the troll empires defeated the aqir, forcing a group of the latter to retreat into Ahn'Qiraj, an ancient Titan facility. Over the centuries, these aqir developed into the qiraji and came to serve C'Thun, the old god at the heart of the facility. The Silithid, another insect race related to the aqir, also came to serve C'Thun. The night elf forces, led by Fandral Staghelm and Shiromar, fought the armies of C'Thun, but retreated after the death of Valstann Staghelm, son of Fandral, and the loss of Southwind Village.

It wasn't until the night elves called for the aid of the dragonflights that the qiraji were driven back. Anachronos, Merithra, Caelestrasz and Arygos, children of the Dragon Aspects, led armies of dragons against the forces of C'Thun. Together, the night elf and dragon forces were able to force the insect armies back to the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. While the battle seemed to turn against them once more, Merithra, Caelestrasz and Arygos flew into the city to create the Scarab Wall, though they were captured as a result. The scarab wall was capable of containing the insectoid armies, trapping them in the city. To one day reopen the gates and truly beat the qiraji, Fandral Staghelm was given a scepter. However, enraged by the death of his son, Fandral shattered the scepter, forever damaging the bond between the night elves and the dragonflights.

### Rediscovery and the Third War

“*These women fight with unmatched savagery! I've never seen their equal. They are...**perfect** warriors.”*

— Grommash Hellscream
*Main article: Third War*
The night elves' isolated existence was shattered during the third war, when refugees from the Eastern Kingdoms arrived on the continent in large numbers. The orcs, newly fled from the Eastern Kingdoms and seeking resources, had sent the Warsong clan to Ashenvale, unaware of the area's inhabitants. The night elves took great offense to the orcish presence in their lands and attacked. While the orcs had some initial victories, that ended when Cenarius arrived, mistaking the orcs for demons and destroying most of their outposts. In desperation, the Warsong clan once more consumed demon blood, becoming powerful fel orcs and proceeded to kill Cenarius.

At the height of this conflict — known as the Third War — the Legion and its terrifying undead Scourge assaulted the night elves' lands. Tyrande rallied the night elf defenders and awoke Malfurion and his druids to combat the resurgent threat. For the vast majority of the third war, the night elves remained hostile to the allied Horde and Alliance Expedition. Only during the final battle, the Battle of Mount Hyjal, did the night elves join with the mortal races, standing to defend the world tree. In the end, even this alliance didn't manage to stop the invading demons, but it managed to delay them long enough for Malfurion Stormrage to complete a magic ritual. Archimonde, the leader of the demonic invasion, was torn apart by thousands of Wisps, finally being killed by the world tree itself.

### Post-Third War

Although victorious, the night elves suffered greatly from the battle with Archimonde at Mount Hyjal. Their beloved World Tree Nordrassil, created and blessed by the Dragon Aspects Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Nozdormu to grant the night elves immortality, had been sacrificed to elicit a massive blast of energy to slay Archimonde. With Nordrassil's destruction, so went the night elves' sole source of protection from aging, disease, and frailty.

Over time, Nordrassil slowly began to heal its wounds, but a number of druids led by Fandral Staghelm desired to create another World Tree that would restore the night elves' immortality. Malfurion warned against this act of self-interest, but when he suddenly fell into a coma, his spirit lost within the Dream, Fandral forged ahead with his plans unopposed, becoming the new leader of the druids. The second World Tree, Teldrassil, was planted off the northern coast of Kalimdor, and eventually it towered among the clouds. Within this tree, the night elves founded the great city of Darnassus. However, Teldrassil failed. Though it grew, it was corrupted, and the dragon aspects refused to bless this new tree.

After the Third War, the night elf nation also joined the Alliance, although the exact moment at which they joined is unknown. They were apparently motivated to do so by the continued logging operations of the Horde in Warsong Gulch.  As a result of the Third War, corruption and madness had taken hold of many of the night elves' former lands and allies, severely weakening the strength of the night elf nation. As members of the Alliance, the night elves partook in multiple conflicts, most notably the Ahn'Qiraj War.