Blood Elf: A Character Guide
This isn’t to try and tell you what to do and what not to do; this is for people who want more lore accurate characters and don’t know where to start.
Evolution (Year -13,500): The blood elves originate from a upper class of night elves known as the Highborne, or high elves. The high elf queen Azshara attempted to summon Sargeras through the Well of Eternity (Year -10,000), resulting in the single continent splitting into the four we know today, known as the Sundering. After this, the night elves forbade any use of arcane magic, fearing a second Sundering. Most of those who refused to cease this were high elves, thus leading to their banishment night elven lands. After the Scourge invasion of Quel’Thalas (Year -20), the high elves chose to take the name “blood elf” to honour the dead. From the blood elves come an assortment of sub-races: Wretched are blood elves who have been overcome by magical addiction, Felblood are those corrupted by The Burning Legion, San’layn are blood elves risen in Northrend to serve the Scourge, and lastly came a faction of their people who delved into the Void, known as Void elves, but were subsequently banished for their actions.
Exile (Year -7,300): Many high elves refused to give up their use of arcane magic, seeing it as their birthright. They were then banished from night elven lands, guided by Dath'Remar Sunstrider. Their kingdom of Quel’Thalas is founded.
Exile ends: (Year -6,800): The construction of Silvermoon City is completed. Somewhere between the exile and this year, a font of power, The Sunwell, is created from a vial of stolen Well of Eternity water.
Joining the Alliance (Year 3): following the First War, the high elves ally themselves with the newly formed Alliance of Lordaeron.
The fall of Quel’Thalas (Year 20): during the Third War, a Scourge invasion headed by newly-made death knight Arthas Menethil assaults the city to use the Sunwell tor resurrect Kel’thuzad. Anasterian Sunstrider, great-grandson to Dath’Remar, and Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner are most notably among those to fall, the latter to be raised as a banshee. The high elves who survived rename themselves blood elves in honour of the deceased and are led by their Prince Kael’thas, son of Anasterian.
Leaving the Alliance (Year 22): in the hopes of finding a new source of power after the loss of the Sunwell, the Blood elves align themselves with Illidan Stormrage and the naga and venture into Outland.
The fall of Kael’thas: (Year 26): by this year, the Outland blood elves have captured the old naaru fortress, Tempest Keep, and send naaru M’uru back to Quel’Thalas. They would later use his spark to reignite the Sunwell. With the aid of Sylvanas, now freed from the undead Scourge, Azerothian blood elves are accepted into the Horde. Kael’thas allies himself with The Burning Legion and is killed in Tempest Keep. After himself being resurrected, Kael’thas retreats to Silvermoon to try and summon Kil’jaeden into Azeroth. He is defeated finally.
Life expectancy: Blood elves can live up to thousands of years, appearing to age up to a certain point before staying physically the same at adulthood.
Height: blood elves are shorter than other elf races with females being 5 foot on average and males being around 5.5.
Eye colour: Usually, blood elves have green eyes due to exposure to fel, however after the cleansing of the Sunwell they’ve also been known to possess golden ones.
Cosmetics: Unlike night elves, blood elves, along with their high elf counterparts, do not possess facial markings of a rite of passage.
Royals: Stereotypically, blood elves are known to be a proud and potentially arrogant people, but this may derive from their culture of respecting their highborne heritage and elevated status within past elven societies. Their regal outlook most likely come from a need to honour their deceased kin.
Dependency: Due to their reliance on arcane magics, reports of addiction are rife within Blood elf society. A constant need for this power may result in withdrawals, causing irritability and snappy nature.
Other races: Blood elves seem to integrate well into the Horde, though some view the lifestyle of creatures like orcs or trolls as primitive and dirty due to its drastic contrast to their luxurious habits. They’ve been known to outright refuse services to trolls. The Forsaken relations are complex: some are still wary due to the invasion of Silvermoon while others recognise Sylvanas’ input while attempting to gain membership on their behalf for the Horde. On the other hand, the bitter grudge between night elves and blood elves continue: night elves regarding them with suspicion or even hostility and blood elves viewing their Kalimdor cousins as savages.
Other creatures: the favoured mount of the blood elves are hawkstriders due to their speed and ability to blend in with the woods of Eversong, as well as dragonhawks. Mana wyrms once served as guardians of crystals and arcane wards within Quel’Thalas, but since the Scourge invasion they’d become maddened and blood elves have even been seen to feed upon them.
Languages: Blood elves speak Thalassian, a derivative of Darnassian. They also speak Orcish.
Government: the oldest form of blood elf rule was a monarchy, started with Deth’Ramar Sunstrider who led the high elves throughout their exile. His great-grandson Anasterian died in the Silvermoon invasion by the Scourge and his son Kael’thas refused to take up his crown, saying that his father deserved to the last king of Silvermoon, prefering to call himself “Lord”. When Kael’thas led a faction of his people to Outland, Lor’themar Theron, once second-in-command to Sylvanas, became Regent Lord in his absence and continued to rule as the sole leader after his demise to this very day.
Military: One of the oldest military organisations is the Farstriders, a group of rangers led by Halduron Brightwing after succeeding Sylvanas, forming officially in Year -500 but with members’ roots going back to the Troll Wars in -2,800. A more recent addition to blood elf ranks are the Blood Knights, led by Lady Liadrin. Once members of the Royal Guard, they renounced the Light believing it to have failed them during the Scourge invasion. However, later on they vowed to aid A’dal following the corruption of Kael’thas and re-embraced it.
Religion: In stark contrast to their night elf cousins, the blood elves opt to worship the sun rather than the moon. They had a specific path of the Light prior to the Third War that led them to be disenchanted with the force. However, after Kael’thas used M’uru’s power to charge a new Sunwell’s power, those such as Liadrin feel the need to serve and worship the Light to atone for their sins.
Red is a commonly worn colour in tribute of their namesake.
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