High elf

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The high elves, or quel'dorei ("Children of Noble Birth" in both Darnassian and Thalassian), are a race descended from the Highborne night elves who left Kalimdor and settled in the Eastern Kingdoms, founding Quel'Thalas.

The high elves were once a significant force on the continent, but in recent times their numbers have been dramatically reduced, 90% of their race having being slaughtered in the Third War.Template:Cite Following this, another 90% of the survivors changed their name to "blood elves" in remembrance of their fallen brethren, and no longer consider themselves high elven.[1] Only tens of thousands of high elves remain, and those who do cling to the Alliance and are trying to restore the glory of their once great people.

History

Exile of the Highborne

When the night elves adopted druidism, they outlawed the practice of arcane magic. The use of its dangerous powers would be punishable by death. However, many Highborne loyalists of Queen Azshara survived the Sundering and grew restless. They suffered from magical withdrawal, and 7,300 years before the invasion of the old Horde through the Dark Portal, they spoke against Malfurion Stormrage and the Druids.

Dath'Remar Sunstrider, the leader of this movement, declared the druids cowards for refusing to wield the arcane. Furion 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 druids could not bring themselves to put so many of their kin to death, so they decided to exile the reckless Highborne from their lands. Sunstrider and his followers boarded a number of specially crafted ships and set sail upon the seas. By now the Highborne were glad to be rid of their conservative cousins and free to practice the arcane with impunity.

None knew what lay beyond the Maelstrom, but they eventually found the Eastern Kingdoms and formed their own magical realm. They abandoned the concepts of Elune and nocturnal activity, embracing the sun instead. They would soon become known as the high elves.

Foundation of Quel’Thalas

Sunstrider led the high elven fleets across the world for many long years. Their goal was to find places of considerable ley power for them to build their new homeland. After landing on the Lordaeron continent, they moved inland and formed a settlement in the Tirisfal Glades. After a few years, however, many were driven insane. The belief at the time was that something evil slept beneath the Glades, so the high elves abandoned the region and moved northwards.

Around this time, they had become completely severed from the life-giving energy of the Well of Eternity. This meant that they were no longer immortal and were vulnerable to the elements. They had shrunk in height and their skin had become a peach hue similar to most dwarves and humans. The high elves soon discovered primitive humans, but associated little with them. The forest trolls of Zul’Aman, under the Amani Empire, posed the greater threat to their society. The elves soon grew to hate the forest trolls and they fought each other whenever they met.

After many more years, the high elves discovered a land in the northern forests which suited them, and founded the kingdom of Quel’Thalas. Unfortunately, they would learn that Quel’Thalas was founded on a sacred and ancient troll city. The trolls began to attack the elven settlements en masse in retaliation. Although the Amani outnumbered them ten to one, the elves utilized magic to its fullest effect and defeated the trolls.

Some elves, wary of the Kaldorei’s warnings, created a protective barrier around Quel’Thalas which allowed them to continue their magic without attracting the Burning Legion’s attention. To do this, they employed a series of monolithic Runestones.

Quel'Thalas was designed with great care for beauty.

Soon, Quel’Thalas became a shining monument to high elven prowess. It was crafted in the same style as the halls of Kalimdor[2], with the addition of integrated magic and a brighter colour scheme. Although they did not worship it, a great respect was maintained for nature. The high elves were careful to interweave their cities and architecture with their natural surroundings, creating a truly beautiful and tranquil land.[3]

To sate their hunger for great magical power, the high elves created the Sunwell. It became the source of their power as the Well of Eternity had been in Kalimdor, although the Sunwell was much weaker, and the elves were forewarned of the dangers. As the high elves became more powerful, they cast an enchantment on the forests that bathed Quel'Thalas in eternal springtime, in defiance of the kingdom's location on the extreme north of the continent. From that point on, all high elves had access to the Sunwell's powers from anywhere on Azeroth. Over time, the high elves came to regard the Sunwell's waters as holy.[4]

New world patterns and the Thalassian kingdom

For nearly four thousand years, the high elves remained relatively at peace. But while the elves established their nation, the Amani plotted their next assault. 2,800 years before the First War, they unleashed it upon the high elves. The Troll Wars ignited. Suffering loss after loss, the high elves turned to the humans of Arathor for support. The two formed a military alliance in exchange for the instruction of 100 humans in arcane magic. Together, they crushed the Amani; an empire that had endured for more than twenty thousand years. Humans and high elves have cultivated this alliance ever since.

The high elves also established relations with the Ironforge Dwarves to the far south, when the human nations of Gilneas and Alterac encountered them more than a thousand years later. The two races had no special bond and tended to distrust one another. When allied, it was through their common ties to the humans.

Yet 230 years before the First War, the dwarven race split into three factions (See War of the Three Hammers). The Wildhammers desired to open up trade with the high elves, considered taboo at the time, and would serve as one of the catalysts for their war.Template:Cite When it ended, the clan became close allies to the high elves. The two races were united through a mutual appreciation for nature and other cultural similarities.Template:Cite They would soon become each other’s closest friends within the alliance.

War and the fall of Quel’Thalas

Peace in Quel’Thalas continued for almost three thousand years until the Second War. The orcish Horde came through a portal from the world of Draenor at the advent of the First War, and defeated the Kingdom of Stormwind. They then brought ogres into Azeroth, and allied with the goblins and forest trolls, turning their sights on the north.

When the humans proposed an alliance of their seven nations, the Wildhammer and Ironforge dwarves, the gnomes and the high elves, the elves were honour-bound to join it due to their ancestral connection with Arathi, of whom Anduin Lothar was the last pure-blooded scion. Under Anasterian Sunstrider, they were the least enthusiastic of the alliance and put forth only a token army.

However, the orcs' northern campaign managed to burn down the borderlands of Quel’Thalas, slaughtering many high elves in the process, and corrupting the Runestone at Caer Darrow. This enraged Silvermoon, which promptly pledged its full support to the war. The Horde eventually splintered under internal political pressure, and the Alliance charged southwards to crush it. The Second War was won.

In the aftermath, some high elves blamed the humans' poor leadership for the burning of their forests. King Terenas of Lordaeron reminded them that nothing of Quel’Thalas would have remained if not for the hundreds of humans that gave their lives to defend it, but nevertheless, the high elves largely abandoned the Alliance. Alleria Windrunnner and a cadre of her elven rangers remained loyal to Alliance High Command, but they were eventually lost on the other side of the Dark Portal. Her sister Vereesa also advocated continued support to the Alliance after the Grim Batol incident, but Anasterian was not swayed.

It should be noted that although the high elves retreated from the Alliance, a large number of them remained in Dalaran and were loyal to the Alliance through the Kirin Tor.

Years later, the Scourge came forth. Its commander, Arthas Menethil, obliterated the leading nation of Lordaeron and then turned their sights on Quel’Thalas. Their goal was to revive a human man named Kel'Thuzad, who could summon the demon-lord Archimonde into Azeroth. To do this, they required a source of considerable ley magic, and chose the Sunwell.

The high elves were still recovering from their grievous injuries at the hands of the Horde, but faced the Scourge in battle regardless. This time, there would be no human army to rescue them. The high elven army, lead by the Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner, was eradicated.

The Sunwell was used to resurrect Kel'Thuzad, and fouled with evil in the process. The Scourge then set about to commit genocide on a massive scale. By the time they had left the forests, not a single living elf remained in Quel’Thalas. The Kingdom was gone.

Soon, Dalaran, with the second greatest concentration of high elves, was destroyed as well.

Splintering

Blood elves, named for their fallen brethren

The remaining elves throughout the continent were scattered and clung to the Alliance for protection. A large amount left with Jaina Proudmoore to form the state of Theramore in Kalimdor, before the destruction of Quel'Thalas. They take two out of the seven seats on the ruling council that advises Lady Jaina and play a key role in the governing of the city-state. Occasionally, ships have come from Lordaeron bringing more of their people to the diverse city.

Also, a unit of high elven rangers under command of Ranger Captain Fellari Swiftarrow battled against the undead under command of the zealous Scarlet Crusade, and a large statue in honor of their capable leader has been erected in the Scarlet Monastery.

The high elves of the Plaguelands, the region of former Lordaeron and southwestern Quel'Thalas, founded a social and political movement under Prince Kael'thas. They renamed themselves blood elves, allied themselves to the Naga and Illidan, and accepted demonic magic in its darkest form to sate their magical addiction. The blood elves have actively converted high elves to their cause and base themselves in Outland. The two factions of the high elven race are split by their differences and deeply hostile to one another to this day.

Some of the alliance high elves are known as the Silvermoon Remnant.

-See also Origin of the races.

Population

Two high elves.

The Lands of Conflict RPG book(a sourcebook that takes place several years before the World of Warcraft MMO), states that the high elven population is approximately 24,810 and the half-elven population is approximately 9,550, not including Theramore, Dalaran, and several less significant cities. Stormwind(pop. 200,000)alone has the most, with a total of 20,000 high elves, and 8000 half elves. However it is also possible that population of Stormwind was a typo, and was instead meant to be only 20,000. If so then it lowers the population numbers down to 6,810 high elves in eastern lands and 2,350 half elves.

When Kael'Thas founded the blood elves, approximately 90%[5] of the surviving high elven population left and joined his cause. Since then the blood elves have presumably converted more to their side, reducing high elven power to an extreme low.

High elves and goblins are the only races available in the World of Warcraft Core RPG book but not in the World of Warcraft MMORPG.

Appearance

Elven male.

The high elves are taller and slimmer than humans, being over 6 feet in height on average and weighing 100-175 pounds. They have white to flaxen colored hair and skin, with brilliantly intense coloured eyes that seem to glow with an inner light. While many high elves have blue or green eyes, violet and red are not unheard of. They reach adulthood at 110 years, a "venerable" age at roughly 350 years, and can rarely live up to 400 years before dying of old age. Template:Cite[6] Most high elves do not wear red or black for fear of be mistaken as Blood Elves.Template:Cite The high elves have shorter ears and a much smaller and lighter body than night elves.

Typical high elves have long blonde, white or brown hair and brilliant blue or green eyes. Their skin, in comparison to blood elves is slightly more pale.

Note that, although blood elves show some physical differences compared to high elves (such as their trademark glowing green eyes), blood elves and high elves are the same race in terms of underlying physical biology[7]. However, in the Warcraft RPG they are considered seperate races more due to culture differences, than because of any physical differencesTemplate:Cite. In the first use of the term "race" it may be equivocation of the definition of the term "species".

HIGH ELFZ HAEV BLUE EYEZ NOT GREEN LOLZ

See Also

• List of high elves in Azeroth