How to Roleplay a Blood Elf

The high elves held a strong bond with the humans of the Alliance throughout the First and Second War, teaching them arcane magic in return for protection from the Trolls by their armies. During the Third War, however, Silvermoon, capital of the elvish homeland of Quel'Thalas, came under attack by the Scourge. Aid from the Alliance did not arrive in time, and Silvermoon was split apart, and most of its inhabitants murdered.

Some of the surviving high elves retained their loyalty to the Alliance, but most felt that their allies had betrayed them and elected not to send help in order to buy more time for themselves. Rechristening themselves blood elves in honor of their fallen brethren, they gathered their strength and, with the help of new allies in the Horde, retook Silvermoon from the Scourge. Now, the blood elves concentrate themselves on perfecting their knowledge of the magical arts and plotting the downfall of the Scourge.

Their place in the Horde

The blood elves are not particularly well-accepted in the Horde due to their caprice, their arrogance, and their open fraternization with demons. The blood elves joined the Horde more out of need of allies, any allies, than out of any deep sense of loyalty. The only other race which displays a strong bond with the blood elves is the Forsaken, who are similarly outcast within the Horde, who hold no taboos against use of fel magic, and who also lost their homeland to the Scourge. However, the blood elves are valued by the Horde for their cleverness and their ingenious use of magic.

Blood elven culture

Blood elven iconography is themed around blood and fire. Their central emblem is the phoenix, which expresses rebirth.

The architecture of the blood elves is ceaselessly flashy and decadent. Scarlet, gold, and white are the most commonly used colors, while purple, particularly in the formes of hangings and furniture, is frequently found on the interior of their buildings. Magic is sometimes used to add a special flair to blood elven buildings in the form of floating or rotating building components. Wings, alluding to the phoenix, are also sometimes incorporated into blood elven structures.

The native blood elven language, inherited from the high elves, is called Thalassian. It is a fluid and graceful sounding language, and is quite similar to Darnassian, the tongue of the night elves. Some even argue that Thalassian and Darnassian are actually two dialects of the same language. Nevertheless, the difference is too great, and speakers of the two languages cannot communicate with one another. Blood elves are unable to speak Common, a language which they would have known from their days in the Alliance, for gameplay reasons (i.e.- Almost anytime the Horde and Alliance can communicate with one another, the communication consists almost entirely of insults and obscenities) and the lore justification for this is that, while some blood elves are capable of speaking Common, they have sworn it off out of disgust for the Alliance.

Idiomatic blood elven expressions include, "Al diel shala," ("Safe travels,") "Anaria shola," ("Speak your business,") and "Sinu a'manore," ("Well met,"). Thalassian for "blood elf" is "sin'dorei," and is used interchangeably.

Relationships between the blood elves and other groups

The Forsaken are the closest allies of the blood elves within the Horde. The two races work closely together, the blood elves having created a pair of magical orbs which can provide instantaneous transport from Silvermoon CIty to Undercity and back again.

The Scourge is more hated by the blood elves than, perhaps, any other faction, having decimated Quel'Thalas and slaughtered countless elves in the process. It is lust for the Scourge's destruction that bonds the blood elves to the Forsaken.

The Illidari includes many blood elves who defected from the greater faction loyal to the Horde. The Silvermoon elves regard the Illidari elves with dislike, though, perhaps, more empathy than they would reserve for the minions of the Scourge or the Alliance.

The draenei are particularly disliked by the blood elves, having hindered many of their mana-gathering operations in Outland. The blood elves also consider the pious draenei to be sanctimonious and hypocritical.

Notable blood elves

Lor'themar Theron, regent lord of Quel'Thalas, was one of the few great warriors to survive the Scourge invasion of the Third War. Though courageous and brilliant, he is not the true king of Quel'Thalas, acting only as an interim commander in the wake of Kael'thas Sunstrider's defection to Illidan.

Kael'thas Sunstrider was once the valiant and passionate leader of the blood elves. However, his desire to return the sin'dorei to their former glory and power led him to join forces with the demon Illidan. Now Kael'thas, though having amassed exceptional power, is enemy to the Silvermoon blood elves.

Halduron Brightwing is the current ranger-general of Silvermoon, and leader of the Farstriders, a military faction of the Silvermoon hierarchy. The premier blood elf military commander.